The Marauders and the Triwizard Tournament
by GreyWolfandMoon
Summary: A faulty time turner sent Lily and the Marauders to join Harry in his adventure in the Triwizard Tournament. Remus/Sirius and James/Lily undertones.
1. Into the Future

**Disclaimer: everything belongs to JK Rowling.**

The clock struck ten. James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were engaged deeply in an exciting round of Exploding Snap. The Gryffindor Common Room was almost deserted except for the Marauders, and an irate Lily Evans who was fervently reading a book covered in dust while occasionally shooting daggers at the noisy boys.

'Look what I found!' a shriek came from the portrait hole so suddenly that Peter dropped his cards. With a loud 'BANG', Peter's cards exploded as Sirius Black swung open the portrait hole and sprinted towards the Marauders.

'What an entrance, Black,' James drawled lazily while brushing off soot and dust from his robes.

'Look what I found!' Sirius repeated. In his hands dangled a golden object: a palm-sized hourglass carved out of gold and silver, strung together with two rotating rings by a delicate necklace-like chain. The rings kept rotating around the hourglass, much like moons orbiting a planet. Sirius wore it on his neck, grinning from ear to ear. Light reflected from the shining hourglass onto Sirius's body, painting him in a faint shade of gold. The Marauders looked up at him in awe: with his aristocratic features, he looked like a Greek god with a halo, gracing them with his presence.

'Something you nicked from Dumbledore's office?' James smiled at his best friend.

'That,' Sirius nodded dramatically, 'is one of many good deeds Minnie has done for me. She probably thinks that I'm now having detention at Dumbledore's office, scrubbing his floor. I did scrub the floor though.'

'More like you scrubbed one tenth of the entire area in the office, saw the fancy hourglass and added it to your possessions,' snorted Remus.

Peter cast a sidelong glance at the hourglass, his hands rubbing his ashen face, 'so… you nicked an hourglass, what for? Gonna make it your new alarm?'

Sirius shrugged. 'Don't you think it's beautiful? I look godly in it.' He fidgeted with the dangling hourglass absent-mindedly, his index finger twirling one of the rings, 'I suppose I'll give it to Moony the being-punctual-all-the-time-holic…'

'Why is it glowing?' Remus gasped suddenly.

The hourglass in Sirius's hands was indeed glowing, and was becoming brighter each second. James and Peter stared at it half confusedly, half excitedly, as it rose slowly from Sirius's grasp into midair, revolving faster and faster…

'Y-you're going transparent!' Peter squeaked nervously.

'Put the damn thing down! Now!' roared James as he ran to Sirius and tried to yank the chain free from his neck. Remus rushed forward as well, the white hot light from the hourglass watered his eyes, but he put his hands around Sirius in an attempt to calm his now twitching, shrieking friend who grew white at the horror of his paling body.

'Will you four keep quiet?' Lily slammed her book shut angrily and strode towards the tangle of bodies by the fireplace. She clutched her book and smacked the back of James's big messy bespectacled head in front of her, 'honestly, it's almost curfew –'

Lily's voice was engulfed by the boys' deafening screams and shouts. A blinding beam shot from the centre of the mess, forcing Lily's eyes shut temporarily. With a great force Lily was pulled forward violently; she stumbled and lost her footing, falling into what felt like void, and then nothing but darkness remained.

* * *

Lily's eyes shot open. Red velvet carpet, comfy sofas, the fireplace… As her eyes addressed the familiar environment, flashes of memories flooded back.

Beside her, four bodies were writhing to wrestle themselves free from the tangle of limbs.

'Get off me Moony, you're heavy….' someone groaned.

'My glasses, gimme my glasses…' a hand from the very bottom fumbled on the floor.

'Black, Potter,' Lily gritted her teeth. 'I can't tolerate this anymore. I'm going to McGonagall.' She got up and strode towards the Marauders, yanked Peter off the top and grabbed the tie of the still glasses-less James. 'Whatever you took from Dumbledore's office, you're going to return it this second. Go!'

Still groaning, James climbed up from the floor and put on his glasses. Sirius pulled Remus up and steadied him with an arm around his waist, who was still suffering from pangs of vertigo from the sudden blow. Lily tutted impatiently; having received an imperious glare from the fuming redhead, Peter slouched and walked slowly towards the door, leading the way to McGonagall's office.

'C'mon Evans, it's just a little blow -'

'"Little", did you say?' Lily's brows shot up to her hairline. 'Your fancy hourglass blew up all of a sudden, and Remus here is still green in the face. Move, Black, you're taking him to Madam Pomfrey's and reporting at McGonagall's office straight after.'

'You nosy bint…' Sirius cursed under his breath. 'Moony, are you alright?' He put his hand on Remus's forehead, which was cold and pale and soaked with sweat. Guilt and anger boiled up inside him; shooting a menacing glare at Lily, he pulled Remus against him, leading him out and away from the Common Room to the Hospital Wing.

Just as the five fourth-years rounded the dim-lit corner, Professor McGonagall's stern voice called from the back. 'Stop this instant, the five of you. Such intolerable behaviour! Sneaking out after curfew!'

'Professor McGonagall, we have a reason to be out, we were going to see you-' Lily turned round, facing McGonagall. She continued as she pointed an accusing finger towards James and Sirius, 'Black and Potter took an hourglass from Professor Dumbledore and it exploded…'

She stopped confusedly as McGonagall's face turned ashen white. Her eyes widened dangerously, her thin lips parted, forming an o-shape. But she flustered only for a millisecond; her composure returned as she took out her wand, her knuckles going very white.

'Really, Minnie,' said Sirius cheekily, flashing McGonagall his angelic smile, 'I'm honoured that you think you'd need wands to discipline us, but I'd appreciate it if you put it down.'

'Who are you?' demanded McGonagall coolly.

'Sirius Black, your potential date,' drawled Sirius. 'May I present you James Potter, our brilliant chaser on the Gryffindor House Quidditch team, and Lily Evans, the nosiest, most arrogant –'

'Who are you? What are you doing at Hogwarts?' repeated McGonagall in a distant, tuneless voice.

Lily ventured, a slight tremble passed through her voice almost unnoticeably. 'Erm, Professor, we're fourth-year Gryffindor students…We, we just had Transfiguration with you this morning…May we see Professor Dumbledore? The hourglass exploded and Remus is not feeling well.' She pointed at the sparkling golden chain on Sirius's neck, and at Remus who was still leaning against Sirius's side, his head perched on Sirius's shoulder. Under the firelight, he looked ghostly pale as if he was going to faint any moment.

McGonagall's eyes narrowed at the dangling hourglass, wand still pointing at them, 'what have you done with Professor Dumbledore's time turner?'

'Time… time turner?' Peter squeaked.

McGonagall sighed, 'follow me.' She turned briskly and led the way into the dark corridor.

 **A/N: If memory serves me right, the Marauders haven't mastered their animagus transformation in their fourth year. Therefore there will be no mention of Prongs, Padfoot and Wormtail in this story with the exception of Moony ( they find out Remus's lycanthropy in second year), much to my displeasure. Honestly the names are so cute! The same applies to the Marauder's map.**


	2. New Rules and Regulations

In Dumbledore's office, five teenagers sat across Dumbledore's desk, waiting for their punishment after finishing their accounts of the incident. Professor McGonagall, the deputy Headmistress, sat beside Dumbledore's desk with deep furrows between her brows, her mouth thin like a line. Dumbledore, however, remained as calm as ever, eyes twinkling and reflecting the warm light of the fire-lit room.

'So,' said Dumbledore, his hands resting casually on the desk, the golden hourglass on his palm, 'have you any idea where, and when you are now?'

'Your office, Headmaster,' whispered Lily, 'past curfew … probably near midnight now. I'm deeply sorry that we - '

'No, Miss Evans, that's not what I meant,' said Dumbledore mildly as he raised a hand to stop Lily, who had been apologising again and again after entering the Headmaster's office. 'Do you know, say, what today's date is?'

'1th September, 1974,' said James matter-of-factly, his palms outstretched, 'if you're checking if we've gone nuts, I can assure you that, no, we haven't, Professor.'

'That's not what I meant either, Mr Potter,' said Dumbledore smoothly, but his expression grew more serious. He lifted up the dangling hourglass and showed it to the teenagers, 'this is a time turner. The name says it all – it is a device for time travel. Normal time turners allow time travellers to stay in the past for five hours at most, with the number of times one turns the hourglass corresponds to the number of hours one travels back in time.'

He glanced at the teenagers, who were gaping with a mixture of awe and shock on their faces, while Lily and Remus also demonstrated horror and exasperation at what their classmate had done.

'However, that's not quite the case we have with you,' continued Dumbledore. 'The one you took from my office, Mr Black, is a faulty time turner, one of those earliest models the Ministry created then discarded promptly. I happened to get hold of one of those to further my research on time travelling, which, unfortunately, had been forced to come to a halt some twenty years ago.'

The teenagers exchanged a glance. None of them spoke a word. Time-travelling, after all, was a complicated concept for fourth-year students. The fire crackled softly, wisps of smoke rose from the cups of tea offered by Dumbledore for the midnight guests. Suddenly, Remus looked up and whispered, 'you stopped … twenty years… ago, did you say, Professor?'

'Indeed, Mr Lupin,' said Dumbledore serenely.

'Because you lost the t… time turner,' whispered Remus.

'Logical as ever, Mr Lupin,' nodded Dumbledore.

'And now… Sirius here has your time turner,' Remus trembled.

Dumbledore nodded again.

Remus fell silent. His face turned even paler. The Marauders watched him intently, Sirius felt even guiltier that he had put his friend through such misery. Lily looked between Remus, the Professors and the time turner, her eyes narrowed suddenly, 'Remus, you're not suggesting-? '

'Mr Lupin is correct.' Watching the teenagers' dumbstruck expressions, Dumbledore stood up from his chair. 'Twenty years ago, I lost my time turner. Twenty years after, you present me my lost time turner, which, I believe, perfectly explains the disappearance of the device in the past. It has brought you twenty years into the future – so welcome, lady and gentlemen, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on this frigid night of 1th September, 1994.'

'Did you hear what I heard?' Peter turned to James, who nodded excitedly.

'We went from 1974 to 1994!' gasped Sirius.

Unlike the Marauders (except Remus, who still looked sickly), Lily was more worried than excited. She sat straighter and raised her voice, 'Professors, would you be able to get us back to the past?'

McGonagall and Dumbledore exchanged the briefest look before Dumbledore answered, 'unfortunately, it would not be possible at the moment. As I mentioned, the time turner Mr Black has taken is faulty, thus unlike normal time turners, it does not send the time travellers back in time without unpleasant consequences. This means that, Miss Evans, Messrs Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew, you will be our guests at Hogwarts for some time before we can safely send you back to where you came from.'

'It's weird, you know,' whispered James to the fellow Marauders, 'we're studying at Hogwarts, and we're now guests at Hogwarts-'

'No lessons, no homework!' Sirius snapped his fingers excitedly. 'What will we be doing though?'

Dumbledore smiled. 'To ensure that your magical education does not fall behind your peers in your time, your normal routine will continue as usual, that is, you will have lessons and exams like you do at _your_ Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall, your Head of House and I will see to it that your lives undergo the least amount of changes by this most unusual turn of events.'

The Marauders' faces fell. Lily looked as though she had just recovered from drowning in the lake. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore conjured up biscuits by their cups. Peter, whose stomach had been growling, took a biscuit and munched on it immediately.

'Before you go to bed, there are a few things that I feel are necessary to inform you. As much as I wish not to trouble you with the situations of the future world, it is impossible that you avoid them completely without raising suspicions. However, I do ask that you refrain from seeking information about your future selves as much as possible. It will do you no good knowing the future, nor can you change the way it goes.' He paused and gazed at the teenagers with his light blue eyes, now so calm that they were the shade of aqua of the ocean.

'Firstly, our world now is not any more peaceful than the world twenty years ago. Dark magical activities are rampant as ever,' he looked thoughtful for a moment, then with a wave of his hand he continued, 'so please beware any strange events or persons, and alert me at once if you find anything suspicious. More importantly, you should always stay inside Hogwarts school grounds.

'Secondly, if you had been at the feast this evening, you would be informed of this already- which of course you hadn't – it is our pleasure to be hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year, which is a magical contest between Hogwarts, Durmstrang Institute, and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.'

'The Triwizard Tournament! My dad told me about it before!' said James, brandishing his biscuit excitedly. 'Champions of each school compete in tasks set by the judging panel, and the winner gets the Triwizard Cup and a big sum of money for reward in recognition of his or hers magical prowess and in honour and glory of winning the Tournament!'

'Indeed, Mr Potter,' said Dumbledore mildly. 'The tasks are designed to test magical ability, intelligence, and courage, hereby extremely dangerous. To prevent potential casualties, this year we will impose an age restriction on contenders-'

'Age restriction? Are we eligible to join? I'm nearly fifteen!' said Sirius excitedly.

Dumbledore merely smiled. 'As I was saying, we will impose an age restriction on contenders – only student above the age of seventeen will be able to put forward their name for consideration. You needn't worry, lady and gentlemen (Lily arched an eyebrow at the now protesting boys, even Remus sat a little straighter), though you are not to participate in the Tournament, you will be watching it and learning from the selected champions, who will be demonstrating their magical abilities and bravery since the Tournament will be taking place throughout the year. Delegations form Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive at Hogwarts in late October, while the Tournament will officially start on Halloween, 31st October.

'The third piece of information I wish to deliver, is more … personal,' Dumbledore paused as he began to pace up and down in the room. 'Again, although it's best that you know of the future as little as possible, there are certain … facts that you need to know,' he stopped in front of the teenagers, examining them intently. 'Starting from tomorrow, you will join the fourth years in class. Our fourth-year contains a person whom I wish to introduce to you – Harry James Potter, the son of Lily and James Potter.'

Dumbledore's words had a dramatic effect. Sirius and Peter sniggered; Remus had an amused expression on his face. Lily's jaw dropped to the floor, her hand shot up to her mouth; James's eyes widened so much that his eyeballs had the danger of falling out any moment, his mouth agape. ' H… Harry Potter? L-l-l-lily and James Potter? James Potter? _Me?'_

'In your dreams, Potter,' said Lily reflexively, though she sounded very uncertain as her eyes darted between Dumbledore and McGonagall.

'Yes, Harry Potter is the son of Miss Evans and Mr Potter,' said Dumbledore, his eyes lingered on Lily and James a little longer than necessary as though he was holding back something. 'I expected it might come as a shock to you… and it did. But since he is also a fourth year, who is now the same age as you, so please treat him as your equal and friend. Harry is also in Gryffindor, and I must say, a very talented Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.'

McGonagall nodded, the corner of her mouth twitching despite the previously tense atmosphere. Lily sat awkwardly in her seat, apparently deciding whether to punch James in the face or show delight at her future son's achievement like how a normal parent would do, but right now at the age of fourteen she was neither James's wife (' _yuck!'_ thought Lily exasperatedly _)_ nor the boy's mother. James on the other hand was over the moon; not only had he married Lily, the girl he had been asking out on every Hogsmeade visit but who had been so far rejecting him, he also had a son who was had a natural knack for Quidditch like him. James pinched himself hardly on the thigh, and amidst pangs of delirium the shots of pain he realised he was indeed awake and not dreaming. Sirius patted him on the shoulder while Remus and Peter giggled uncontrollably.

'One more thing before you go,' said Dumbledore after the giggling died down a little, 'you must not disclose your real names when you are here. It's too suspicious for five people to turn up suddenly with names identical to another five students in the past. At least, no one should know your full real name.'

McGonagall nodded, 'Headmaster, I suggest we alert the staff to address them only by their last names.'

'Sure. I shall inform the staff that we've got five transfer students at Hogwarts now,' said Dumbledore. He turned to James, his eyes twinkled again, 'Mr Potter looks unmistakably like Harry and anyone could see that they are related. Well … you could say you're cousins.' James nodded. 'And the rest of you- just avoid addressing each other in public by your first names,' Dumbledore continued as he turned to the four remaining teenagers. They nodded obediently.

Dumbledore clapped his hands in delight. 'Great! So that settles things down. Ah, I would also like you to meet Harry and his friends an hour before breakfast here at my office, who will likely be with you the whole time you're here. Now … Minerva, would you bring Miss Evans to the quarters we have set up for our guests?'

James's dreamy gaze followed Lily and McGonagall out of the office.

'Now, Mr Lupin,' said Dumbledore softly, his wand waving elegantly in the air as he muttered an incantation. Instantly Remus felt a lot more rejuvenated and his pale face gained colour. 'Thanks, Professor,' he whispered.

'I am sure that you know the lunar cycle falls on different days every year,' said Dumbledore, his back now turned against them as he inspected the waxing moon in the blue black sky, the trees and ground below it a shimmer of silver. 'In this dimension, the full moon is in two days. That probably explains your illness after you came here. Your body couldn't adjust immediately.'

Remus looked down at his body, which was still stiff and sore even after receiving Dumbledore's healing spell. He muttered, 'from where we came from I had just got through the full moon. Now I have to go through this again.'

'We'll be with you,' said James determinately, 'we'll visit the Hospital Wing and see you and talk to you – '

' - And bring you loads of chocolate bars,' added Peter.

Dumbledore smiled. 'Great … now, I believe what you need most is some rest and sleep. Ah, here you are, Minerva. Would you do me the favour again by showing the gentlemen the way to their rooms?'

* * *

'Headmaster, must you burden them with the rumoured rise of Voldemort?' asked McGonagall quietly as she returned to the Headmasters' office after escorting the Marauders to their quarters besides Lily's, which were built out of the Room of Requirement.

Dumbledore sipped from his tea. 'I cannot say I am completely comfortable with the sudden return of our old students - four of which would become important Order members,' his eyes darkened for a moment, 'and one a future Death Eater. We're not sure whether it's really just the result of young Sirius Black's recklessness or something else. At any rate, we have to be vigilant all the time. The incident we have here could be the enemies' ploy, or something they could use to their advantage.'

McGonagall did not speak anything. At length, she sighed, 'it saddens me whenever I look into their eyes … and think of what they've become.'

'The choice is theirs, Minerva,' Dumbledore shook his head, his hand stroking his long white beard. Silently, he whispered an incantation and drew a circle in the air with his wand. Slowly, tens and hundreds of books, news clips and parchments soared from every direction of the Hogwarts castle into Dumbledore's office, piling up neatly beside the brick wall.

'We cannot do anything to change who they will become. The best we can do is to hide what happened on 31st October, 1981 from them as far as possible, hoping that things will not turn nasty lest they learn the truth. At the moment, hatred and revenge is the last thing we need,' Dumbledore paused for a moment, 'though there is no way to stop them should they choose to pursue the subject from anyone verbally.'

'Let's just hope that they don't,' replied McGonagall as her watery gaze landed on a news clip with the headline 'JAMES AND LILY POTTER FOUND DEAD; BUT THE BOY LIVED'.

 **A/N: Please review! I just finished my exam and have loads of time to write crap.**


	3. Life at Hogwarts

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter fidgeted in the Headmaster's office. James could not resist the temptation of rustling his messy dark hair every five seconds, hoping to make a good impression on Harry (as claimed by James, but everyone knew that it was in fact Lily whom he was trying to impress). Sirius was even more hyperactive than usual; he was thrilled at the prospect of meeting Harry (whom he termed 'the product of Lily and James', which earned him a hard smack in the back of his head from Lily) and his friends. Remus and Peter engaged in a deep conversation about the differences between Hogwarts now and then, for example, Peter had discovered that McGonagall had exactly eleven more wrinkles on her stern face than she did back in 1974, and that the Filch had not retired and had remained nasty as ever, to Remus's and Peter's dismay.

'This does not change anything, Potter,' said Lily haughtily as she pushed back one of her stray red locks.

James grinned cheekily, 'do you think it was me or you who came up with the name "Harry"? Personally I would go for something more … you know, grand. "Alistair" is a good one.'

Just as Sirius tried to open his mouth and chip in, the door open and a head stuck in. Ebony dark hair stuck out from every direction like a black bird's nest. His emerald green eyes were the shape of almonds, which hid behind a pair of round glasses and examined the five time travellers curiously. The Marauders choked; the boy was a carbon copy of James.

'Potter! What do you think you're doing!' yelped Lily in reflex.

'Who is that?' called a voice from behind the black - haired boy, 'she sounds like McGonagall.' A second boy walked in. He was very tall for a fourth-year; ginger hair that was a shade brighter than Lily's dark red hair instantly attracted everyone's attention, his long nose full of freckles.

'Don't be rude, Ron,' said third voice as a girl appeared. Flicking back her bushy hair in a futile attempt as it returned to its original position stubbornly, she held out her hand and said, 'you must be James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Lily. I'm Hermione Granger, nice to meet you.'

'Nice to meet you too,' said Lily politely. The Marauders muffled something similar.

The tall red-haired boy inspected the time travellers closely. He cocked his head slightly and said, 'well, I forgive McGonagall for rousing me in the dead of night. It's really something.'

Shooting an impatient glance at her companions, Hermione spoke again. 'We were informed of your arrival last night … and of course we're all very excited to meet Harry's family,' she paused and bit her lip, and Lily thought she saw her struggle before a smile revealed itself. 'This is Harry Potter – 'she pointed at the carbon copy of James, '– as I'm sure you can tell by his resemblance to James. This is Ron Weasley – 'she gestured towards the red-haired boy, '– and we're good friends with Harry.'

'Harry …' mumbled James. Harry smiled embarrassedly, though he seemed overwhelmed with the joy of meeting his parents' younger selves as he examined James and Lily eagerly, almost ravenously. His gaze skidded over to Remus, to whom he smiled warmly and who returned a smile, though a bit bewildered that Harry seemed to greet him like a close friend rather than someone strange. Peter shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he felt pairs of eyes lingered on him in an odd way, though Hermione appeared to be polite enough to smile at him albeit awkwardly, while Harry and Ron gawked at Peter, their excitement seemed to have subsided.

'James, he has Evans's eyes!' exclaimed Sirius.

'My words remain true, Pot- James,' said Lily curtly, who then quickly returned a bright smile to Harry. He lightened up instantly; despite Lily's discomfort at talking to James Potter's doppelganger kindly as her brain still hadn't adjusted not to mistake Harry as James, she couldn't help but beamed at the slightly skinnier boy.

'Can I hug you?' asked Harry quietly, his voice trembling a little.

'Of course! How's my little son doing?' said James delightedly as he threw himself at his future son. Lily smiled and nodded, returning the embrace.

'Well, why don't you stay here a bit and we'll see you at the Great Hall? You must have a lot to catch up,' said Hermione. She waved goodbye to Harry and promptly walked out of the room followed by Ron.

'Mum… Dad…' Harry looked at the two teenagers before him in disbelief. In the Mirror of Erised, they had appeared older, more mature: Lily had been a few inches taller, and her eyes brighter and kinder; James had put an arm around his wife and beamed affably, quite unlike the slightly arrogant boy now who was bobbing up and down and bickering with the fierce redheaded girl every thirty seconds.

'I'd rather you call me James at the moment, actually,' James scratched his head, his hair becoming messier than ever, 'it feels a bit weird, having your son of the same age call you "Dad".'

'Well I don't know James,' said Sirius thoughtfully, 'I'd quite like someone to call me Dad. It gives me some sense of authority.'

In that particular instant, Dumbledore walked in and smiled good-naturedly at the students. 'Good morning everyone. Breakfast's available in the Great Hall. Come and join us? It'll surprise you that even after twenty years Hogwarts's food remains at brilliant as ever.'

'Let's see, Professor,' Sirius winked mischievously. As they sauntered out of the office and reached the Hall, the Marauders discovered that the Great Hall had not changed much in twenty years' time, except that Peter found out there were fewer paintings in the Great Hall in the 70s ('you see, daydreaming and staring at nothing are Pete's favourite pastimes. He has the time to actually count the paintings!' Sirius explained to Harry, ignoring Peter's grunts). They walked to Ron and Hermione, who beckoned them over as they sat at a corner of the Gryffindor table.

'Breakfast, woohoo!' exclaimed Peter joyfully. 'Here Remus, you love porridge with blueberries.' Meanwhile he helped himself to three slices of buttered toasts and fresh apple juice.

'Want salad, Moony?' Sirius enquired as he grabbed the salad bowl. James placed himself across Sirius and Remus and poured a glass of pumpkin juice for his friend.

'You look a bit off, Pro – Remus,' Ron observed. He looked out the window and observed the sky (where the morning sun shone brightly) and said knowingly, 'ah, full moon's tomorrow.'

Remus paled visibly. Lily cast a questioning glance at him, while the Marauders exchanged wary looks.

Catching Lily's confused gaze, Hermione hissed, 'can you shut your big mouth for a second, Ron!' She looked at Remus apologetically, 'well … it must be a long journey for you. I used the time turner for lessons last year, and I never want to time travel again. Nasty experience.'

'Oh yeah, Hermione took more subjects than any of us last year.' Glad that Hermione had made a diversion, Ron elaborated exuberantly, 'this second we saw her at Transfiguration, and the next second she was gone!'

'Just what subjects are you lot taking this year?' enquired Harry as he accepted the new timetable from a prefect. 'See what we have here … Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures … wonder if Hagrid got us anything interesting?' he continued and suddenly felt his insides tightened, '… and double Divination this afternoon,' he groaned.

'Regretting you didn't walk out last year now?' said Hermione gloatingly. 'Listening to Professor Vector talking about numbers and sums is much worth my while than wasting time on Trelawney's trash.'

'Lessons are not about listening to our old teachers, sweetheart,' James shook his head. 'I love divination. The old bat never minds us skiving off or taking a nap in her fumy tower.' Sirius and Peter grinned. The Marauders had taken the exact same subjects, which was all to the good of protecting themselves in an unfamiliar dimension.

Soon the five time travellers found themselves enjoying the company of Harry, Ron and Hermione. The boys spent the rest of breakfast debating which Hogwarts was better while Lily and Hermione busied themselves on reading their new textbooks. At last, Lily put down the Herbology textbook and got up, 'are you done talking yet?' She glanced at the clock, which signified to her that Herbology was starting in precisely seven minutes and twenty-one seconds, 'I don't fancy being late the first day I got here.'

* * *

After spending a tiresome morning on collecting pus from Bubotubers and embarking on the project of feeding Blast-Ended Skrewts, the large group made their way to the North Tower, at the tip where Professor Trelawney, the Divination teacher resided. Walking in the front were James and Sirius with Remus between them, the arms of the black-haired boys placed firmly on the thinner boy's shoulder. Grabbing both Remus's and his satchels, Peter had sweat all over his pudgy face. He panted as he fell behind his friends, ' – wait!'

Ron and Harry stopped hesitantly. James walked over to Peter and took the satchels, 'thanks Pete, but I think it's time for you to start working out. You look like hell.'

Peter breathed heavily, 'I … am already … on a diet … now,' he looked over to Ron and Harry's looks of incredulity and snapped, 'what? You've been looking funny at me since the moment I got here.'

'C'mon, Pete, they probably just find you cute,' said Sirius soothingly. 'Let's go inside, shall we?'

Sweet perfume met their nostrils before they climbed up the stepladder. The Marauders looked around curiously; it seemed that the Divination Professor in 1994 had taken a liking to making the place look as mysterious and dark as possible, quite unlike Professor Bubblefield in the '70s, who enjoyed 'embracing nature and observing fate' as James quoted. All previously drawn curtains were laid down, blocking daylight from the cheery morning. The only source of light came from lamps draped in shawls and scarves, and the eerie beams emitted from numerous crystal balls on the shelves at the back of the room.

'She looks worse than Bubblefield,' whispered Sirius.

'I say she is better. This level of dimness is superb for a good nap,' said Peter happily.

'Welcome, welcome my dears, and our friends from afar,' a dreamy voice wafted from the centre of the room. The Marauders looked up to find a very thin woman with oversized glasses and beads and bangles on her body. 'In light of the coming full moon, a monthly astronomical phenomenon (Remus grunted as Sirius muttered 'as if we need to be reminded when the full moon is'), it is time to consider the stars and the mysterious portents they reveal to those who understand the steps of celestial dance …'

Lily, who sat with Ron and Harry, was the only one listening to Professor Trelawney at the table. The Marauders sat next to them: while Remus fought to keep his eyelids open, James, Sirius and Peter had already drifted smoothly into their own world of fantasy. Peter was right; the sweet perfume and dim-lit classroom had only added to shortening the time needed to zone out and fall asleep.

James's dream of rescuing Princess Lily from the evil Queen was disrupted by laughter ringing across the room.

'… Saturn in connection with Neptune, Mr Potter, I daresay you were born in mid-winter?' Trelawney's dreamy whisper hovered over the tables where the Marauders and Harry sat.

'Yes –' said James loudly, his mind still groggy from sleep.

'No -' began Harry.

'- if you consider March as mid-winter,' continued James, his vision clearing as the world came into focus. 'I always catch a cold from lolling under the sun on my birthday. Who's asking?'

Trelawney's long face swam up to James. 'Thanks for answering, dear, though I was seeing through the baleful soul of the other Mr Potter, masked by his acts of bravery and shining appearance … and – oh!' she shrieked suddenly, causing the Marauders to jerk awake and sit up abruptly.

'Horrible, horrible!' Trelawney shook uncontrollably, her bangles jingling and threatening to fall from her bony wrist any moment. 'My dear! My Inner Eye detects four sorrowful fates! The sorrowful fates of four bright young men!'

'Do enlighten us, Missy,' smiled Sirius sweetly.

'On Sunday evening, the Moon will align with Jupiter, the star of wit and fast thinking …' Trelawney mumbled almost unintelligibly, her fingers poking on the star chart. 'Rare … very rare indeed, Uranus at the far end, I see symptoms of illness…'

'Yea, so what about us?' asked James impatiently.

'… I've been emphasising the secrets of the movement of planets … ' Trelawney continued, paying no attention to James's comment. 'You, dear, Uranus tells me that you will be sick in a few days' time,' she put her hand on Remus's head sympathetically, who jumped in surprise. 'That's not all… I regret to bring this to you… alas … but danger ahead…'

Remus seemed uncertain whether to brush off Trelawney's hand or continue to let her pat on him like her pet dog.

'Just remember to latch the door, you poor soul, so bad luck won't come near you,' Trelawney eyed him empathetically, 'I'd quite like to meet you lovely gentleman again. And you too, my dear…' She looked between Remus and James, her voice misty and faraway, 'sons of March, victims of Poseidon's wrath,' she shook her head. 'No wonder you catch colds easily. Bring a raincoat the next time you frolic under the sun, will you? You never know when it rains.'

* * *

'Oh, my dear, Jupiter's gonna collide with Mars this evening, just snore loudly in Snape's class and let his heavenly wrath conquer that of Jupiter's, will you?' Ron said to Harry in a high-pitched, misty voice after class ended. They descended the stairs from the North Tower, pleased that they had yet survived yet another Divination class.

'Alas! My Inner Eye sees through your masquerade,' Harry mimicked Ron's voice impression of Professor Trelawney, 'you'll die painfully of Goyle stepping on your toe,' he laughed heartily at his own joke.

'Perhaps if you pay attention you'll start to appreciate the intricacies of the Solar System and their relation to ancient human activities,' said Lily.

Hermione met them on their way to the Great Hall for dinner. Harry and Ron filled her in on their Divination class and Trelawney's predictions, and Hermione too, joined in their uncontrollable giggling and laughing.

'She asked if I was born in mid-winter,' Harry laughed. 'In fact, I was born in July,' he explained to the Marauders and Lily.

'She told Remus to latch his door,' Sirius sniggered. 'Well, at least you can be sure that the tooth fairies won't be able to get to you now, Moony.'

'What am I, an eleven-year-old?' Remus muttered grumpily.

'But she did say Remus would be sick very soon…' said Peter worriedly. 'I mean … in some sense she's not wrong …'

'She's just an old fraud,' said Hermione dismissively. 'Anyone with half a brain can see that Remus gets sick very often. How hard it is to make a prediction of illness when you are pale and thin and tired all the time?'

'Thanks for pointing that out, Hermione,' said Remus gloomily.

'Well… I'm sorry Remus, I didn't mean …' Hermione mumbled, her face red with embarrassment and guilt.

The conversation continued on Hermione's double Arithmancy with Professor Vector, which indeed sounded fascinating. Stubbornly, Ron and Harry insisted that they were having just as much fun as Hermione did in Divination, thanks to Trelawney's eccentricity. They were about to enter the Great Hall when someone called at the back.

'Weasley! Hey, Weasley!'

Malfoy walked towards them, a triumphant smirk on his pointy face. Crabbe and Goyle followed closely behind.

Malfoy brandished a copy of the Daily Prophet and jeered. 'Weasley! Your dad's in the paper! Guess you'd never received such publicity in your whole life, eh?' Seeing Ron's flushing face, Malfoy looked even more excite. 'Look at this, Weasley, it might be the last time to experiment what feels like being a celebrity!

Ron was shaking with fury. Harry's hands curled into fists. 'Shut up, Malfoy,' he hissed.

'Oh, here comes Potter the tag-along. How was summer sticking with people who can't even feed their own mouths?' Malfoy crowed. Crabbe and Goyle laughed stupidly.

'Oi, you keep your dirty mouth shut,' Sirius stepped out from his friends, his stormy grey eyes sparkled with anger and danger.

Malfoy turned. 'You're Black? My mother says there's no Black my age in the Wizarding World. You must be a Mudblood.' He cocked his head slightly as his eyes squinted. 'Your looks could've passed for a real Black, you could even have switched with the lunatic in Azkaban had he not escaped,' he sneered.

'Your mother is Narcissa?' said Sirius with disgust. 'Pity the dementors didn't get her and the rest of the Blacks - marrying Lucius Malfoy, spawning little death ea–'

'How dare you insult my parents, Mudblood?' snarled Malfoy. With a flourish he took out his wand and shouted, ' _Densaug-_ '

BANG!

Malfoy had disappeared completely. In his place a white ferret squeaked, its sleek white fur stood erect on its skin as it tried to escape from what seemed like invisible walls around it. One moment it was writhing frantically on the ground, the next moment it was bouncing and falling and hit the floor.

'THIS SHOULD TEACH YOU A LESSON ON HOW TO BEHAVE!' growled a man as he descended the stairs, his wand pointing straight at the squeaking ferret. Clunk, clunk. With each step he took, a 'clunk' reverberated in the entrance hall, like the sound of a giant plank thumping on the stone floor. His face was crisscrossed with scars, his nose missing a chunk. One eye embedded sloppily in the lump of scar tissues, the other an electric blue eye, now whizzing madly in its socket.

'Professor Moody!' breathed Hermione.

'You disgusting, stinking, cowardly brat –' growled Moody, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher as the ferret continued to hit the floor and bounced. The Marauders all laughed, Peter even mimicked the squeaking of the terrified animal.

'Professor Moody! What are you doing!' said a shocked voice as Professor McGonagall strode from the Great Hall. 'We never use spells on students for punishment!' she said furiously and flicked her wand at the ferret, which with a puff of smoke changed into Malfoy again. 'Giving detention and speaking to their Heads of House will do!'

Still snickering, James led the way and slipped away from the gathering crowd with his friends.

* * *

After dinner, Lily and the Marauders returned to their 'dormitory' – the makeshift quarters on the seventh floor, just a few corridors from Gryffindor Common Room. There were two rooms in connection to a spacious common area, which was decorated and furnished in the same fashion as their own common room. No doubt Dumbledore wanted to make them feel at home by re-creating a familiar environment. On the left was Lily's room, while the Marauders occupied the other room, inside which the four-poster beds were placed in exactly the same way as theirs in their own dorm.

'Weird, I never noticed there was a room here,' commented James as he entered the room.

'Maybe they built this after we left,' Remus shrugged.

Behind them, Sirius and Peter were still laughing their heads off at Malfoy's transformation into a ferret in the entrance hall before dinner.

'Moody is cool! Oh I can't wait for our first Defence class,' said Sirius elatedly.

'My Dad knows him, Moody,' remarked James as he curled up on the comfy armchair by the fireplace. 'A great Auror. Half of Azkaban is filled because of him.'

'He's not really mad, is he?' said Peter as fear crept up his face. 'If you ask me, his punishment for Malfoy was a bit … ' Sensing Sirius's disdain, his voice trailed off nervously.

'You don't honestly think his first name is really "Mad- Eye", do you?' Sirius scoffed. 'Come off it, Malfoy deserved it. I wish I could do that to Lucius Malfoy too. Wonder what he might be?'

'A giant albino snake,' suggested James.

'A dairy cow,' Peter piped up.

Remus chuckled, 'he can't be, dairy cows are female.'

'I wouldn't rule it out,' Sirius barked, his hands going haywire when he was on the topic where one of his enemies was involved. 'He comes across as a bit of a sissy. You know my cousin Narcissa - '

'I _don't_ know, Black, but may I remind you that you're not the only one in the room,' said Lily through gritted teeth across the table, books and star charts piling up neatly in front of her. 'I seem to recall it didn't go exactly well the last time you made a fuss in the Common Room,' her eyes squinted dangerously.

'Sorry, Evans,' Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. 'Forgot you existed.'

'Are you working on Treeley – oh wait, what's her name again – Trealoon, no, Trelawney's homework already, Lily?' said James, looking surprised and impressed. 'It isn't due until next Tuesday – '

'Some of us, unlike you,' replied Lily, 'actually care about learning.'

'I wouldn't waste a single brain cell on Divination if I were you,' Sirius shrugged again.

'That's because you don't have any,' snapped Lily.

Remus looked up from his armchair curiously, 'Hermione walked out of Divination last year, didn't she? Thought you'd have the same idea about Divination, Lily.'

'Well, not really,' Lily paused for a moment, her hand stroking her chin. 'I believe every subject has its own merits, including Divination.'

'Yea right, 'you'll-die-of-jumping-off-the-Astronomy-Tower-tomorrow' Divination,' snorted Sirius.

'You're very mistaken about the essence of Divination, I'm afraid,' said Lily contemptuously. 'If you see Divination as some sort of rambling and making up facts, which you're good at, you're wrong. Rather than truly 'seeing' the future in your head, you could say that it's a systematic method with which to organize what appear to be disjointed, random information so as to derive insight into a problem at hand. Well, it might be more sophisticated in the Wizarding world, but at least that's how it works in the Muggle world.'

'In a nutshell, guesswork and rubbish, but nevertheless a perfect opportunity to nap,' James yawned.

'Have it your way, Potter,' Lily returned to her essay, her back hunched over the pile of notes she made, 'I don't expect you to understand any of this anyway.'

'What a bore,' mumbled Sirius, 'I don't even know what James sees in you.' He got up and yanked Remus off the armchair, 'let's go to bed. You'd need a bit of rest before tomorrow…'

Noises died down as the Marauders went back to their room. In the fire-lit Common Room, Lily looked out the window and bit her lips thoughtfully.


	4. Schoolboy Grudges

The next day went like a haze. Having no appetite, Remus skipped breakfast and schlepped himself towards the Charms classroom after James, Sirius and Peter came up from the Great Hall and roused him. The usually fascinating charms class wore on and soon Flitwick's squeaky voice pierced Remus's mind like a thousand needles poking in. Transfiguration was no better; not only did Remus failed to transfigure his cushion into a rabbit, he also fell asleep under McGonagall's nose (to which she turned a blind eye) and was only subsequently roused by Sirius when class was over.

Finally, Remus was ready for another night of torture and pain in the Shrieking Shack, which had not been put to use since he was last here (of course, he had no idea his future self had only been here in June).

Some twenty hours later, Remus awoke with a stiff body and sore muscles in the Hospital Wing. Considering it was his first transformation after arriving in the future, it was not a particularly bad moon: there were splinters of broken wood and glass in his right arm, a deep tore near his belly, a few broken rips and a sprained ankle on his left leg. Otherwise (if you ignore the countless scratches and claw marks on his body, that is) he was fine, and when he was still drifting in and out of consciousness, Madam Pomfrey had tenderly put healing spells on the deeper wounds, so now he was feeling awake enough to attend classes.

'You shouldn't stress yourself too much, dear,' scolded Madam Pomfrey, though love spilled from her kind, wrinkled eyes. 'I think you should spend one more night resting before going to class.' She handed Remus a glass of pain-relieving potions and shook her head slightly, 'as much as I'm impressed by your diligence, Remus, it is in your best interest that you spend the day resting.'

Remus peered outside the window. The afternoon sun spilled golden lights on the grounds, silhouettes clustered around the clearing near Hagrid's cabin, who was now the Care of Magical Creatures Professor, no doubt students were having class with the big man.

'No, thank you Madam, I think I'm well enough to go,' said Remus softly. 'I have fallen behind those who had class this morning already.' He looked down at his timetable, where 'Potions' gleamed smartly under today's date. Remus's stomach tightened; after three years of learning he still hadn't mastered the art of potions making, and Potions had soon become his least favourite class not long after the start of his first year. Half of him wanted to stay in the soft, warm bed, and half of him held on to the promise he made to his parents that he would work hard on Potions. After a minute of internal debate, Remus let his rational side took over and hauled himself out of bed.

* * *

'I wonder if Sluggy is still teaching at Hogwarts?' James hopped energetically in the corridor to show off his stamina, the Potions book clutched tightly in one hand.

'If Bubblefield has retired it's reasonable that he isn't,' replied Peter sensibly, 'they look about the same age.'

'Nonsense, Dumbledore and McGonagall haven't,' argued Sirius, 'I hear Dumbledore is turning five hundred and seventy-two this year, and McGonagall's turning a hundred and sixty.'

They sauntered into the dark, cold dungeon and found an empty table. Peter was busy fumbling with his textbooks and cauldron when he continued, '… impossible, Dumbledore can't be that old. No man can last that long.'

'I'm afraid you won't last long either if you don't keep your lips sealed and sit down this second,' said a cold voice behind them.

'Sniv –' Recognising the hated voice ( he had developed an instinct of recognising his mortal enemy's voice in a heartbeat even in the deepest sleep), Sirius spun around and froze, his evil grin was half-formed when shock replaced it, causing his face to grimace in a strange fashion. Directly in front of him, a man with sallow skin and greasy hair parted in the middle stood like a statue, black robes billowing slightly. He looked at the Marauders, now the only students standing in the classroom under his large, hooked nose, his black eyes bore into them so intensely that they could drill holes on them.

'You … you're …' gasped James, his eyes big and round like a house elf's.

' _Professor_ Snape, your Potions teacher,' enunciated Snape. 'Five points off for each of you for displaying rudeness to your teacher. Now _sit down_.'

'I don't need a greasy oaf to teach me,' Sirius mumbled and cursed fluently in eighty languages under his breath as he flipped through the potions textbooks with unnecessary force.

'Now, about today's assignment, you'll have to…' Snape was making instructions in his flat voice when a knock sounded on the wooden door. He paused and turned to see Remus standing beside the door, cauldrons and satchel clutched tightly in one hand, the other hand on the handle to steady himself, whose lungs were wrung in a lump in a desperate attempt to squeeze in and out the smallest amount of oxygen as the result from sprinting from the Hospital Wing all the way to the dungeon.

'About time, Lupin,' Snape sneered. 'Has no one taught you punctuality before?'

'Sorry, Professor,' Remus flushed, colour rising up his hollow cheeks. Sirius hissed as he took in his friend: there were large dark circles under Remus's amber eyes; they set frozen on Snape, unbelieving and shocked; his face seemed pointier and more angular in shape. His shaggy brown hair stooped spiritlessly, like old curtains hanging on his bony skull. Remus seemed rooted to the spot, his hand hanging awkwardly midair as though it was willed to resist the temptation to cover his half-open mouth. Delighted to see his friend, Peter, who was closest to the door rushed forward, took Remus's satchel and helped him to his seat.

'If you haven't noticed, Pettigrew, that you never leave your seat without permission, you should now,' said Snape lazily. 'Five points from Gryffindor for Lupin being late, and another five point for Pettigrew's audacity.'

'You bloody know there's no reason to blame Remus!' snarled Sirius from his seat.

'Language, Black,' said Snape icily, his black, unfathomable eyes sparkled with menace. 'Ten points from Gryffindor, and detention tonight at nine in the evening.' He turned, a sneer hung threateningly on his sallow face, 'really … five minutes into the lesson and you've already lost thirty points, I wonder how many more points I could take before the class finishes.'

'You –' bellowed Harry and Ron at the same time. Snape whipped around, his black robes billowed in the gale he created. 'One more unconstructive word, Potter and Weasley,' said Snape menacingly, 'the whole class of Gryffindor stays.'

The Slytherins sniggered. Paying no heed to the unconstructive sounds of giggling, Snape flicked his wand and spidery handwriting appeared on the blackboard.

'No, no, no,' Peter whined under his breath.

'You slimy git,' cursed James, 'you'll pay for this when I get back.'

A large heading 'Antidotes to Common Potions' written in white chalk stood out sharply against the blackboard, underneath which steps and ingredients were listed. Since there were five extra students today, the blackboard also detailed the new groupings for the class. James and Harry would share a table with Malfoy (Harry groaned loudly), Sirius would be joining Pansy Parkinson and Ron. Remus (who was already regretting his early return from the Hospital Wing) was to group with Neville and Seamus, while Peter with Crabbe and Goyle. The only normal grouping was Lily's, which consisted of Hermione and Dean.

'Each of you will hand in a vial of your antidote to hemlock at the end of the lesson. You have two hours. You may begin,' Snape announced.

'I swear the slime ball has a soft spot for Lily,' whispered James beside Harry. 'Good try, but you're still me and Lily's son.' Harry looked nonplussed for a moment, and then he broke into a smile as he listened to his father's remark, albeit not quite catching the humour.

'Look, I thought one Potter was enough to demonstrate what stupidity was,' drawled Malfoy as he added a bunch of belladonna to his cauldron. 'Seems that old Dumbledore changed his mind about Hogwarts being the elite school.'

'Shut up, Malfoy,' said Harry behind his gritted teeth. James patted him on the shoulder and threw a sweet smile towards Malfoy. 'Easy, Harry, he'll not be this happy when his cauldron explodes.'

'As if it will,' Malfoy sneered. James shrugged and concentrated again on his antidote. He would _not_ lose to Severus Snape (like he always did back in the past, but 1994 was a new beginning) in front of his son and future wife. After all, Potions was one of James's best subjects; he was second only to Snape and Lily who were often tied for first place in class.

Two hours was almost up; James looked at his potion lazily, his ladle hung casually at one side of the cauldron; Harry was desperately stirring his supposedly green potion when Malfoy's cauldron exploded, green potion splashed all over him.

'Sir! Someone put stuff in my potion! It was simmering perfectly!' Malfoy shouted furiously.

Snape came over and inspected the green potion on Harry with unfathomable black eyes. He prodded layer of potion with his wand (and poking Harry simultaneously), sparks erupted from the wand tip. 'Kelly-green, 75 degree Celsius, half transparent,' he nodded. 'Very good, Mr Malfoy, I'll grade your potion like everyone else's.' With a flick of his wand the potion vanished completely. 'Meanwhile…' he looked over to the remains of the cauldron, where a burned firecracker lay. Snape squinted, an evil grin appearing slowly, 'Potter, detention for a week. Nine p.m. sharp at my office.' With another flick of his wand both Harry's boiling orange potion and James's Kelly-green potion vanished.

'What!' James and Harry bellowed at the same time. 'I didn't do anything!' Harry shouted angrily.

'Nine p.m. sharp at my office,' repeated Snape icily. ' _Both of you,_ Potter and Potter.'

'I didn't do -'

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Harry was cut off by loud sounds of cauldrons exploding which punctuated his eardrum from the other side of the room.

Over to Remus's table, Neville looked horrified, broken pieces of metal lay on where his cauldron was originally placed; Seamus's hair was standing, mushroom shaped smoke shot out of his cauldron now no longer whole but had cracked into two halves; Remus was covered in a dirty green, sticky liquid, his cauldron melted into a pool of silvery lump in front of him.

'Well, well, well,' Snape glided over, his voice silky, 'competing for the title of the- worst-potion-maker-in-history here, aren't you?' He stared down at the three Gryffindors, his hooked nose like a falcon's beak. 'You are to scrub the floor until it's completely free of the evidence of you three ever existed in this dungeon,' then he turned to the class and waved, 'class dismissed!'

As James made his way out of the dungeon, he mumbled regretfully, 'bugger, should've realised Zonko's no longer sells that now.'

* * *

It had become common practice that Harry, Ron and Hermione spent their nights with the time travellers in their makeshift dormitory. They would pack their things, do homework and revise in the temporary Common Room, and return to their own dorms when curfew came. Moreover, Hermione thoroughly enjoyed being at the new quarters; it seemed to her that she could find whatever books she wanted on that small shabby bookshelf.

'Um … what will we suffer on Monday?' Ron scratched his head with frustration.

'Let's see … Neptune will be due East from Earth,' checking the stars chart, Harry's hand ran through his messy hair. 'Er … I'll say I'll burn my finger then.'

'Alright … Tuesday … Jupiter connects with Neptune when its 69 moons spread evenly across its surface and none over the Great Red Spot,' Ron carried on with his essay, 'so … it's quite rare… gonna say something special …'

'I got one, I'm gonna say fell down and broke my knee,' said James.

'Wednesday … I can't think of any.' Remus bit his lips.

'Just say you'll get a cold, she'll be happy that her prediction comes true,' suggested Peter.

'Why can't time pass quicker?' Chucking his quill to the floor, Sirius yawned. 'I can't wait any longer. Defence class with the best Auror of the time!'

'Imagine those at Azkaban!' Peter nodded fervently. 'Moody single-handedly feed hundreds of criminals to the dementors!'

Remus put down his quill and stared at his essay thoughtfully where his tragic fate of the coming week was recorded. 'Did Malfoy say something about someone got out of Azkaban the other day? Moody could've got him back, if he's really what you say he is.'

'Yea I heard him! I wonder who that lunatic was?' asked James excitedly.

'Erm, I didn't hear that,' Harry squirmed in his seat, shifting uncomfortably, 'it's probably some crap Malfoy made up.'

'Yea, of course he made that up,' said Ron hastily. 'No _lunatic_ has ever escaped from Azkaban, right?'

Harry and Hermione nodded feverishly. 'No, 'course not. No _lunatic_ at Azkaban can do that, they're all insane,' said Hermione in an unusually high-pitched voice.


	5. The Goblet of Fire

The next few weeks passed smoothly, except that Ron really got burned by a Blast-Ended Skrewt in Care of Magical Creatures, just like how he predicted his miserable fate would be, and James earned himself an extra detention from Snape as he bumped into the Potions Master in the corridor one day.

'This is the last time you will be collecting Bubotubers pus,' said Professor Sprout, a pudgy, good-natured woman and Head of Hufflepuff. 'Bubotubers produce the most concentrated pus when they are at their boom of life before their death… good job, Neville,' she beamed at the round-faced Gryffindor, who extracted a bucketful of pus successfully, 'as I was saying, their pus will be the most undiluted so far, so please be careful –'

'Urggggg!' screeched Lavender Brown with her hands full of sticky yellow pus.

'-not to have any direct contact with the pus. This way to the Hospital Wing please, Lavender,' said Professor Sprout cheerfully.

Defence Against the Dark Arts with Moody, as it turned out, was really an unusual experience. Bringing three spiders with him, Moody took the class through the three Unforgivable Curses: the Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse.

'You'd better be fully prepared at a young age for the Unforgivable curses,' Moody growled. 'You'd regret it when you only get to know the curses when you're the cursed one. So next lesson, you will learn to resist the Imperius Curse on your own'

'Professor, wouldn't it be a bit dangerous to teach the Unforgivable curses in class… now?' Hermione's hand shot into the air.

'If you'd rather learn it the hard way in the battlefield, which I doubt you'd like the experience, you can leave now,' Moody snarled.

* * *

'He couldn't be cooler,' said James as he left the classroom. 'He's right, we need to be armed.'

'I don't like the way he teaches,' said Lily quietly. 'The spiders are innocent.'

'If he didn't use spiders how would he be able to demonstrate the curses?' said Ron shrilly. 'And believe me, spiders are _not_ innocent.'

'Did you see Neville's face when he used Crucio on the spider?' snapped Hermione. 'He looked so pained, so horrified. Shouldn't you consider how students would react before you teach?'

'I'm taking stuff up to the dorm,' said Sirius abruptly. 'See you at dinner.' He turned on his heels and walked away.

'What's up with him? He's awfully quiet,' Peter frowned.

'Dunno, let's go after him,' and James too, ran towards the seventh floor.

Lily watched her classmates go. 'Will you go to the library with me? I've got to return the books.'

Hermione and Remus nodded, and the three parted ways with Ron and Harry. They rounded a corner when they nearly bumped into Neville, who was holding a book and was completely absorbed in its contents.

'Hiya Neville,' said Hermione. 'You alright?'

'I – yeah,' nodded the chubby boy, his eyes never leaving the book, ' just feeling a bit funny after class, so Professor Moody invited me to tea and gave me a book.'

'A book?' Lily looked over to Neville, who was holding _Plants in the Ocean: A Study of Gillyweed._

'Er, yeah,' said Neville. 'Professor Moody said that everyone's got their strengths and weaknesses, and showing your weaknesses is not your fault,' he looked up and smiled shyly, 'he said Professor Sprout … um, likes me, so he thought I'd be interested in a bit of extra reading on Herbology.'

'That's right, Neville,' Hermione smiled. 'Enjoy the book.'

'Thanks, Hermione,' said Neville. He paused and cocked his head, looking thoughtful. 'I was really scared, you know, Professor Moody isn't exactly the sort of nice-looking professor, but … well, I reckon he might be second best after Professor Lupin.'

'Professor Lupin!' gasped Lily and Remus.

'Yea, Professor Lupin,' Neville's face lit up. 'He's the best teacher I've ever had. Any chance he's related to you, Lupin?' enquired Neville.

'Um, maybe,' said Remus.

'Pity he left, some nasty people didn't like him because he's a werewolf.' Neville looked really sad. 'I hope he finds another job soon. He encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and overcome my fear,' his stared at something faraway that others couldn't see, 'I miss him… well, I've got to go,' Neville straightened and smiled apologetically. 'Sorry for holding you up.'

'Not at all,' said Hermione. 'See you in a while.'

Silence descended onto the three teenagers. Remus stared at the floor, feeling cold sweat all over his body. He dared not look at his companions; he had too much experience of being rejected and isolated, and he was not sure if he was prepared for more. At length when he discovered neither girl had moved a step, nor had they distanced themselves from him, he croaked, '… how was he, Hermione?'

'Gentle, kind, witty and clever,' said Hermione quietly but firmly. 'The best teacher I've encountered in my life, and one of the people I respect most.'

Remus swallowed hard. He felt his heart thumping loudly as if it was to explode any moment, his feet filled with lead and could hardly move an inch. He gazed at the floor, but he could see nothing. Memories of how Sirius, James and Peter found out and accepted his lycanthropy flashed before his eyes. Suddenly, he felt an arm on his shoulder.

'And so are you, Remus,' whispered Lily. 'Nothing ever changes. You're still one of my closest friends and study buddy.'

'How long have you known?'

'Does it really matter? Though I have to say, I wouldn't be qualified as your friend if I didn't care for you and look where you'd been whenever you disappeared, or if I opened my big mouth and spread your secret, would I?' Lily broke into a smile and pulled Remus into a hug.

Remus let his tears fall; returning Lily's hug, and feeling Hermione's encouraging squeeze on his shoulder, he cried like he had never cried before. Once more, he felt like the six-year-old in his mother's embrace in that life-changing night again, the shining full moon hung brightly in the sky that had never looked the same since.

* * *

On 30th October, the whole Hogwarts castle was buzzing with excitement and anticipation of the coming of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations that evening. Teachers were extra harsh in disciplining students, hoping that they would put on their shiniest, friendliest side to the guests, while Filch seemed ever more determined to catch students doing 'intolerable behaviours', such as using the cubicle he just cleaned and stepping on the corridor he just waxed.

'You four,' said McGonagall sternly to the Marauders, 'had better behave. No pranking, no skiving off lessons, and no wandering after curfew.'

When dinner was over, the large Marauders-Gryffindor-Trio group made their way to the Common Room.

'It's Krum! It's Krum!' said Ron enthusiastically. The Marauders had heard enough of the Quidditch World Cup and Krum's fantastic performance, so they too were absorbed in the discussion on Krum.

'He's just a Quidditch player,' said Hermione impatiently. 'Does it surprise you that he breathes and eats and goes to school as well?'

'He's no ordinary Quiddtich player!' said Ron indignantly. 'I wish you could see him live, James! I tell you his Wronksi Feint was amazing!'

'What a waste! There's no Quidditch this year,' James looked downcast. 'I can't survive without Quidditch! Harry and I could even play against him!'

At last the teenagers (save the girls) outlined a plan that somehow they would invite Krum for a match in secret. Reluctantly, Harry, Ron and Hermione said goodbye and went back to their own Common Room.

Soon after they left, Lily and the Marauders went to bed as well. But the excitement hadn't died down for James; the Tournament, the Goblet and Krum were too much for him to have a sound sleep. He was staring straight ahead at the canopy of his bed when Sirius tugged his curtains. 'Coming?'

James grinned. 'You know me so well, mate.'

He pulled out his invisibility cloak and sneaked out of the room. 'I can't believe I brought this here,' he whispered, 'must've been in my pocket along with some pranking whatnots when you fidgeted with the time turner.'

Successfully tiptoed past Peeves and Filch, they entered the silent entrance hall where the flaming Goblet stood. Surrounding the Goblet was a hand-drawn circle: the Age Line Dumbledore had placed to screen off underage contenders. To enter the Triwizard Tournament, students would have to write their names and schools on a piece of paper and put it in the Goblet, which would select the most suitable candidate, i.e. the school champion to compete in the Tournament.

'Have you got the names ready?' asked James nervously.

'Yea – here –' Sirius fumbled in his pocket and grabbed the pieces of paper he prepared. 'Are you ready, mate?' said Sirius solemnly.

'On the count of three, one – two – three –' Sirius and James planted their feet inside the circle, their hands high up and wands in hand to brace any obstacles that Dumbledore had placed to thwart them. Sirius closed his eyes and waited –

And nothing came. Gingerly he took another step, now his whole body inside the Age Line. Still, nothing happened. The entrance hall was silent as ever, save James's and Sirius's heavy breaths, their face reflecting the light from blue-white dancing flame of the Goblet.

'Well, that was a bit of an anticlimax, wasn't it?' said Sirius. He looked up and down at his own body, checking if there were any missing parts.

'And ol' Dumbledore made such a fuss of having an age restriction,' said James sardonically. Exchanging a glance, they took a deep breath, took the paper with their names on it and chucked it to the Goblet.

The blue-white flame turned white for a second; then red flames roared and soared towards the ceiling. A piece of paper hurled over the boys and landed outside the Age Line.

'What –!' said James disappointedly, picking up the paper with 'James Potter, Hogwarts' written on it. 'It doesn't even consider my entrance!'

'Well, my condolences,' Sirius patted his friend sympathetically. 'Perhaps it thought me a better candidate,' he grinned.

'Impossible!' James yelped, brandishing his little piece of paper. 'How would Quidditch star, teacher's favourite and Hogwarts' most handsome and brilliant prankster James Potter be worse than Sirius Black?'

'Because while James Potter is the most handsome prankster, Sirius Black is the most handsome person ever at Hogwarts,' said Sirius triumphantly. 'Well, let's get on with the names. Personal sorrow is nothing when it comes to the group's interests.'

The blue-white flame engulfed the paper with Remus's name when James made another move towards the Goblet.

'You got Evans's too?' Sirius breathed. 'I thought it was only us four.'

'She's awesome, just you wait,' said James with a determined look. He hurtled the paper across Sirius to the wooden Goblet. Once more blue-white flame rose and took in the paper.

'You see, she –' James stopped dead when blue flame turned red and the paper soared back through him and Sirius.

Sirius eyed his friend with real sympathy now, 'well, at least you're a match now, something that you've prayed day and night for.'

James wanted to say more, and suddenly footsteps were coming near from the staircase. 'Quickly deal with whatever names you've still got, we're leaving,' he whispered. Just as Sirius was done and James was ready to pull over the invisibility cloak, a tall boy with brown curly hair appeared at the bottom of the staircase, his hand clutching a piece of paper.

'Potter!' said the boy in shock. He looked around furtively, checking if Filch was lurking around. 'If you won't tell, I won't,' he said warily.

'Deal,' said Sirius, already pulling James up the stairs.

'No luck Potter, you won't be able to get through the Age Line,' said the boy behind them.

'No, we were just looking,' said Sirius and James in unison.

* * *

For hours the entrance hall was crowded as students congregated there to submit their names, or for most students, to see who had the guts to enter the Tournament. It wasn't the first time that Hogwarts had put up Halloween decorations, but in years Hogwarts had donned its most extravagant Halloween costume. There were clouds of bats in the corridors, and portrait frames all over the castle had been transfigured into big bleeding mouths with sharp fangs (including that of the Fat Lady's, and every time someone passed through the portrait hole the mouth would close and made crunching sounds).

The day seemed to stretch, every hour was a torture, even the Halloween feast didn't taste as good as it had looked. Every now and then, there were craning necks and secret peeks towards the teachers' table, and at the spot where the Sorting Hat was normally placed was the great wooden Goblet. Long before the food disappeared from the golden plates, half of the occupants in the Great Hall had stopped eating and engaged in animated discussions about the Tournament and the selection of school champions, which was to be announced after the feast had finished.

'You look happy. Something good?' enquired Remus as Sirius fidgeted in his seat.

'Um, nothing, food's delicious, the weather's good, and you're handsome,' said Sirius cheekily.

Lily eyed him with suspicion. 'You'd better not get involved in the Tournament. I can't shake off the feeling that you and Potter have done something fishy.'

'Nonsense!' said James offhandedly. 'We wouldn't have been able to walk over the Age Line, would we?'

Finally, Dumbledore set down his wineglass and stood up. Silence descended onto the Great Hall as students, guests and teachers held their breaths. On either side of Dumbledore sat the members of the judging panel: the Durmstrang Headmaster Professor Karkaroff, the Beauxbatons Headmistress Madame Maxime, ministry officers Mr Crouch and Ludo Bagman. They looked as tense and expectant as everyone else did.

'The time has come,' announced Dumbledore, 'the Goblet is about to make its decision. When the names of the champions are called, I would ask them to please go to the next chamber and receive their first instructions.'

He waved his wand gracefully; within a second the torches on the wall extinguished and darkness stretched within the Hall. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the only luminous object in the Hall – the flaming Goblet.

The blue white flames danced in the Goblet; sparks flew out, catching everyone's breath. Suddenly, the flames turned red and a tongue of fire shot into the air, and a piece of paper shot out –

'Viktor Krum of Durmstrang!' announced Dumbledore.

Applauses came like thunder; Professor Karkaroff beamed at his student, his goatee curling up slightly.

The Goblet turned bright red again, and another paper fluttered out.

'Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons!'

The blue-robed Beauxbatons students cheered as a girl with silver hair rose and walked gracefully to the chamber behind Dumbledore.

Voices of whispering grew; the black-robed Hogwarts students buzzed with anticipation. Sirius felt James kicking his shin under the table.

'- And finally, Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts!'

The Hall erupted with applause and cheers. The Hufflepuffs clapped so loudly that the Marauders felt themselves temporarily deafened. Cedric rose from his seat, a handsome boy with black hair and the Hufflepuff Beater. Cheers grew louder as he waved and disappeared into the chamber.

'Congratulations to all winners –' Dumbledore stopped speaking when the fire turned red suddenly. A final piece of paper flew out. Picking it up, Dumbledore's deep voice echoed in the Hall, sounding wary and mildly surprised:

'Harry Potter.'

 **A/N: So I've finally come to the start of the Tournament! Honestly I can't wait! (You see that's why I've been updating constantly)I suppose this is why writing is fun - instead of me making up who is doing what and what is happening, the characters lead me through and demand to be written. :)**

 **On a different note, I apologise for almost copying straight off GoF for the announcement of the champions scene. I've done my best to alter and shorten it, but I couldn't think of other way to convey that scene with equal effectiveness. I normally avoid writing the same stuff that the book already has, but there is an exception to every rule.**


	6. Potter Stinks

Dumbledore's deep, sonorous voice echoed in the Hall.

'Harry Potter.'

The Marauders gaped at the Harry: James and Sirius exchanged confused looks, both staring at Harry openmouthed; Lily paled immediately, a look of utter horror on her face. Remus pinched himself on the thigh, but the shots of pain told him that he was not dreaming; Peter's mouth opened so widely that he didn't notice his pudding falling out.

'I didn't – I never – ' Harry stammered, looking from the Marauders and Lily to Ron and Hermione, who despite Harry's pleading gaze, remained silent. 'You know very well I didn't – ' Harry gesticulate wildly, but his found himself unable to form coherent sounds.

'Get up, Harry,' promptly Lily recovered from her frozen state, her hand on Harry's shoulder. 'You're supposed to go to the chamber,' she stuck her chin towards the direction of the chamber behind Dumbledore.

As Harry got up slowly, the Hall began to boil up. The Slytherins made loud booing voices, some Beauxbatons students shouted and pointed accusingly at the messy-haired boy. Even the teachers did not take the news well, for Madame Maxime and Professor Karkaroff were looking furious and shaking with anger.

'Oi Potter, you said you were only looking!' said a tall boy with curly brown hair from the Ravenclaw table. James recognised immediately that he was the boy he met in the entrance hall the night before. 'You cheated! How did you get past the Age Line?' he yelled, but his protest was drowned by angry accusations and shocked gasps. Lily looked from the boy to James and Sirius, who were eyeing each other and communicating in sign language only they understood. She squinted, her green eyes glowing more dangerously every second.

* * *

'James Potter and Sirius Black, you did NOT put anything in the Goblet of Fire!' shrieked Lily angrily, her face flushed red. Arm crossed, hair tied into a messy bun, Lily stood in front of the armchairs; James and Sirius squirmed in their seats.

'You did NOT put our names in, nor did you do anything with Harry's!'

'Well … we… ' James recoiled under her penetrating gaze.

'Don't say you don't know,' snarled Lily, 'three years of living under the same roof with you has taught me well enough about you and your stupid pranks. Was that you the Ravenclaw boy ran into, Potter?'

'I, I suppose so,' breathed James, his hair standing up even more unruly now.

'When?'

'Erm, last night, I… we…' James stammered. 'Sirius and I … went for a midnight expedition…in the entrance hall…Sirius wanted us to enter - '

'We didn't know we could go through the circle –' said Sirius, earnest to ease Lily's anger.

'HAVE YOU GOT BRAINS AT ALL?!' Lily flared, her fist thumped on the table with a loud 'bam'. 'You sent us to the future, fine! You got Harry into a week of detention with Severus, fine!' She pointed at James and Sirius accusingly, 'but you put Harry's name in the Goblet and got him into a dangerous tournament, and that's NOT FINE!'

'I most certainly did not put his name in!' shouted Sirius with exasperation. 'Look, I might've-' Lily whipped around, and Sirius swallowed, 'fine, I did put our names in, but I never got time to put Harry's in before someone else entered the Hall!'

'Oh God,' Remus stood up from his chair, his pale complexion reflecting the golden firelight, 'you really did put our names in? Did you know how dangerous this could be?'

'I - ' Sirius started, but flashes of what would have happened to any one of his friends flooded his mind, which had been drowned by enthusiasm and adrenaline, and he had only started to register the possible consequences of his reckless behaviour at this particular moment. 'Not-not exactly, James's and Evans's entrance was not accepted,' he added frantically.

'A-at least,' said Peter in a high voice, who had been curling under the table, 'it's … it's not anyone of us …'

'Damn right,' snapped Lily, 'because it's Harry who got picked now. Not you, happy?'

'Look, Evans,' Sirius panted, 'there's no use throwing a tantrum in here, the thing is Harry got in now, and we've got to help him.'

'Yes,' James added hastily. 'We never put in Harry's paper, right? Sirius?' He looked at his friend, though there was a tinge of uncertainty in his voice. He straightened and continued, 'I'm his father, how would ever I harm him?'

Lily sighed. She covered her face with her palm, her voice muffled and tired. 'The whole point is that, now that someone's seen you and mistaken you as Harry, this makes the whole thing ten times more difficult.' She shifted slightly, facing the fire, 'You provide some sort of proof that Harry did sneak out and throw in his name.'

'Personally,' said Remus suddenly, who had been watching the exchange between his friends without a word, 'I think you can't blame everything on James and Sirius, that is, if their claim is true that Sirius never had time to put in Harry's paper,' he glanced at his two pale friends, 'and if Harry never had anything to do with the Goblet. Whether James and Sirius had gone to the Hall wouldn't have mattered if someone was deliberate in getting Harry in.' He then turned to Lily, 'but Lily's right, you two provided a convenient evidence for the instigator.'

'Why would someone put Harry's name in?' asked Peter shrilly. 'S'pose it's some big joke on him …'

Lily shook her head. 'To get him in, it must've been someone who's older than seventeen and who has some sort of intention behind it. The Ministry is not to be messed with.' she turned to face James and Sirius, 'I guess you were able to approach the Goblet because you're not physically fourteen in this world. In 1994 you'll be thirty-four already.'

Silence filled the room. At length Peter ventured, 'we'll help him, will we?'

'How? We're the same age, we don't know anything better than he does,' said Lily, a deep furrow had formed between her brows. 'Plus, we're twenty years more outdated. Surely the magical world has evolved a lot in twenty years' time?'

None of the time travellers slept well that night. Frustration sat on their shoulders like a giant rock, threatening to crush them any second. They woke up with dark rings under their eyes, but no one bothered to tease like they normally did.

The next few days were torturous for them. Not only did people started making unpleasant comments about Harry, which at the same time put the time travellers in a sullen mood, there was also the open hostility towards Harry by students putting on a flashing green badge POTTER STINKS manufactured by Malfoy and his cronies. One tab on it would change it to a luminous red of SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY.

'Ignore them, Malfoy is trying to rile you up,' said Lily and Hermione repeatedly to the surly father and son.

'Have they any idea they're insulting three people at the same time?' James growled.

'Which three?' asked Peter unhelpfully.

'The three Potters,' said James, looking matter-of-fact as Lily stormed off.

But things seemed to get worse. Ron and Harry spoke like Victorian lords with eerie formality and unnecessary 'thank you's and 'you're welcome's. They still sat together, but Hermione was the only one each of them addressed. The time travellers exchanged knowing looks but no one said anything.

'The _Prophet_ ,' Hermione muttered when an owl landed on the table. She had developed a habit of announcing every single action she performed or saw and heard in order to fill the silence.

'What's that?' Sirius snatched the newspaper from Hermione and read out loudly. 'THE BOY WHO LIVED ENTERS THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

 _Harry Potter, a handsome boy with sexy green eyes and hair darker than carbon at the tender age of fourteen has volunteered to enter the Triwizard Tournament, competing against much older rivals from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang._

 _"It's my honour and responsibility to continue the long lost tradition as the saviour of the Wizarding World," said Harry, wet tears streaming down his angular face," it's for my parents –"_ '

'It's nothing,' Harry snatched the paper back from Sirius. 'Just some Skeeter woman's filthy report.'

'Well, I'm touched you said that,' James wiped a fake tear. 'For your parents, risking your life …'

'I did not! I never volunteered, nor did I say anything that would make me sound like a conceited idiot,' said Harry gruffly.

'We trust you, Harry,' said Lily firmly as she squeezed Harry's hand on the table.

'What's up with "The Boy Who Lived" and the saviour of the world?' asked Sirius earnestly. 'Of course you lived, you're here, healthy and strong,' he grinned.

Harry 's face darkened. 'Nothing. That Rita Skeeter mad woman was making up stories.'

'Rita Skeeter? _That_ Rita Skeeter?' Sirius barked, attracting attention from the other students, and girls in particular. 'Oh I remember her. She was what, a seventh year magazine editor when we were first here.'

'Turned out that nine tenth of her articles were compete gibberish,' Peter poked his sandwich dispiritedly. 'That one time…'

Soon the Marauders were engaged in recounting Rita Skeeter's ridiculous articles when she was at Hogwarts. Harry and Ron, despite giving each other a cold shoulder, were completely absorbed in the tale. Hermione commented eagerly, glad that someone finally took the job of making normal conversations. No one remembered 'The Boy Who Lived' or the _Daily Prophet_ now safely folded in Hermione's bag.

With the article out, hostility towards Harry and those who declared support for him (the time travellers , Hermione, the Creevey brothers etc.) became more apparent. James had taken the animosity as personal attack; the POTTER STINKS badge simply sent him over the edge every time he saw one. Incidentally, the Hospital Wing had since been having a surge of students (Slytherins in particular) hexed in various ways, often by creative use of curses that were last seen in the '70s.

Although the time travellers were worried about Harry and the upcoming Tournament, none of them could do anything since they didn't even know what the first task consisted of, which was to be held on 24th November. On top of that, they still had the concealment of their real identities and Remus's transformations to worry about. Unlike the 1974 batch, who had got used to Remus's 'weak immune system', the time travellers' fellow fourth years were much inquisitive especially after the incident of Snape letting slip of Professor Lupin's lycanthropy.

'Like you, Professor Lupin was always sick,' Pansy Parkinson giggled.

'At the full moon,' added Millicent Bulstrode with a menacing glare.

'Who's Pro-' James's mouth was covered by Lily as she dragged away the bespectacled boy.

'He's my uncle. I go home every full moon to check on him,' said Remus casually without batting an eyelid.

Sirius had to admire Remus's talent at improvising a lie without showing it, but then it dawned on him that it was only reasonable for one to lie so easily when he had spent his whole life doing it. Subsequently, no one had bothered asking about his monthly disappearance apart from some occasional taunting and mocking every now and then, and Remus was glad.

'Professor Lupin was very popular among us,' explained Hermione, her hand outstretched with a butter knife, 'I reckon some Slytherins thought him cool too.'

'Could you pass the salt, Professor Lupin?' asked Sirius with an air of solemnity. Ever since the Marauders learned about Remus's future they had been calling him Professor and saluting him.

'Oh please, grow up,' Lily rolled her eyes.

* * *

The only redeeming fact was that Remus no longer had to hide and lie to Lily, whom he was very fond of ever since they met. Lily had also seemed to warm up to the Marauders upon learning more about their acceptance of Remus and their friendship.

'I thought you were merely a group of prats who needed a scapegoat whenever it came to shirking responsibilities,' Lily said apologetically, her worrying gaze never leaving the full moon hanging in starless sky. 'I never knew there was so much more to it.'

'So,' said James, his expression hopeful,' will you go out –'

'No,' Lily stood up from the armchair and left the Common Room.

'Keep trying, James,' Peter didn't even try to sound sympathetic. 'We need to go.'

It was the Marauders' habit to pay a visit to Remus at the Shrieking Shack before moonrise. Since Remus would normally be so tired that he had to skip lessons on the day of full moon, the Marauders reckoned seeing him before the painful transformation would act as some sort of moral support. His last transformation just after they arrived had clashed with some Astronomy stargazing project, and none of the Marauders were lucky enough to escape from the all-seeing Professor Sinistra after the roll call ('we shouldn't have come at all,' said James regretfully). So once again, after twenty years, three figures appeared out of thin air near the Whomping Willow, and a pudgy silhouette prodded the tree with a twig. Had anyone been bored enough to look out the window and survey the Hogwarts grounds, they would be surprised that the normally viscous Willow was now frozen, its long blade-like leaves swaying slightly in the breeze.

'Hell, this place looks worse than ever,' whispered Sirius as they ducked and crawled into the narrow tunnel.

James edged forward with great difficulty. 'Wish we could work faster. It's getting more and more complicated.'

'It's worth it,' Peter panted, bringing up the rear. 'If becoming Animagus could ease Moony's pain, it's worth it.'

Sirius's complaint echoed in the tunnel from the very front. 'Surely Dumbledore could've paid more attention to the Shack? It's dusty and old and smelly! And _look at this_!' He pointed at the door before them. Even in the dark James and Peter could sense the sudden rise of Sirius temper.

'What?' James closed in and examined the door. It was the same old one; made of iron and heavy and tall. The only difference was that more rust had grown over the years, making the door looking more brown than silver. The chains and latches were still there like they had been, but at a closer look it was revealed that they too had not been exempted from aging with the elapse of time.

' _Reparo_ ,' Sirius waved his wand. 'See? They are so old that they are already broken only after one transformation. How long can they hold the door? Dumbledore really has too little time to care about his student's wellbeing,' he added bitterly.

'The world's view of werewolves hasn't exactly changed,' came Remus's calm reply. Moonlight from the slits between iron panels barring the window dyed his hair silver as he leaned against the shabby headboard.

'You're late,' said Remus in a mock scolding manner, 'detention at the Hospital Wing tomorrow with the badass werewolf!'

'Sorry Professor, had to clean up and strengthen the door a bit,' grinned Sirius.

'I swear on Merlin's balls that it won't happen again,' James bowed deeply.

'F-f-f-f-forgive us, Professor,' Peter squeaked. 'To make up for it we'll bring extra packs of Honeyduke's chocolate and candies.'

Remus laughed heartily. The Marauders joined in and laughter echoed in the empty Shack.

'You have to go,' said Remus as laughter ceased. 'Thanks for coming, but … moonrise is in fifteen minutes. I can feel it,' his whispered, mirth completely gone from his voice.

'Stay safe,' James patted him on the shoulder.

'Don't miss our detention,' Sirius winked and hugged Remus.

With a loud bang, the heavy iron door slammed shut and cut off voices and footsteps completely, leaving Remus alone to the moon, wolf, bites, claws and bloodlust.


	7. Moony's Message

The moon shone brightly.

 _Arh-wooooooooooooh -_

A wolf howled. _Bang, bang, bang._ The wolf lunged at the wooden furniture, the wall, the door; its greyish fur soaked with sweat and blood. Tonight, it seemed to have taken a particular interest in the barred window facing the forest, for its claws were rooted deeply in the iron bars, its great muzzle gnawing on the frame, fangs coated with saliva and wood crumbs.

 _Longing. Magic. Fire. Out. OUT._

A string of words swirled in the wolf's canine mind; but it was incapable of forming complex thoughts other than following its instincts, nor did it understand that the wall was impossible to break. _Bang, bang, bang._ No matter how hard the wolf pounced, the magic seals on the window remained intact. Unshaken, the seemingly battered Shack stood still against the bleeding mad wolf.

'Moony! You're finally awake!' Sirius yelled, his voice loud enough to wake the whole castle, which was the last thing the Marauders wanted in the dead of night in the Hospital Wing.

Remus was wrapped tightly in bandages and covered with pastes and dittany all over his body. His eyelids were swollen and heavy like lead, his mind void and blank. Unlike last month, there were no sore muscles or stiff body this time –in fact he could feel nothing at all as if his body didn't exist under the neck. He willed himself to move, but the lanky limbs hardly belonged to him and were as still as rocks.

'Merlin's beard,' James took a breath sharply, 'there are bruises all over your face! What have you done?'

Remus's throat was dry and burning. He tasted blood; a lump in this throat with the raw bitter taste of iron bobbed up and down, resulted from howling all night long. He had a perilous need to cough, but the pain from contracting his deflated lungs and broken ribs was so strong that he feared he might fracture into a million pieces if he did.

'Here, here,' Peter hastily conjured a glass of water on the nightstand. The boys gingerly helped Remus up and lay his back on the pillows.

'It never took you so long to wake up,' said Sirius tightly, his knuckles were devoid of any blood as he gripped the duvet. 'When we first visited you yesterday morning, you… you… we…' he quieted down and looked away.

'The flesh couldn't… contain the madness… within,' croaked Remus, the corner of his mouth quirking up slightly. But even forming sounds and a half smile drained his energy so quickly that pangs of vertigo hit him like a train.

James wiggled his brows. 'Well if you can crack a werewolf joke at least your master mind's still intact, Mr Moony,' he said light-heartedly with a whistle, though Remus's heightened senses could detect the waves of adrenaline and his friends' thumping heart.

'If only we could speed things up a bit…' Sirius looked down, his voice hoarse with guilt.

'S'not that,' said Remus between heavy breaths. 'Something…there.' He rolled his eyes upwards, indicating the window.

'It's okay, nothing's outside,' said Peter sadly. Remus could tell that Peter was in resigned acceptance of his mental instability and hallucination about 'something outside'.

Remus swallowed the phlegm rising up his throat. 'Not … here,' he licked his broken lips, 'that night. Forest. Wolf wanted out.' He tried to look down, but the duvet obscured the rest of his body. 'Kept hitting the wall… I suppose.'

'The Forest?' echoed Peter as he looked out the window too. 'But you don't usually react that badly.'

'Let's go and see,' James stood up quickly, pulling over the invisibility cloak. 'Sirius? Pete?'

Sirius stole a glance at Remus and shook his head. 'Peter goes, I'll stay a bit longer.'

* * *

James and Peter crept towards the Forbidden Forest. In the dark, the forest was mysterious, dark and deep. From the outside, one could hardly guess just how many dangerous creatures resided in the seemingly innocuous forest, but it was called the Forbidden Forest for a reason.

'Seems pretty normal to me,' James commented, surveying the bushes with candle-like buds around him.

Peter shook uncontrollably. 'Can we get back? I think we've gone far enough,' he whispered.

'But then…' James wanted to argue, but he suddenly raised his hand to silence both of them, 'shhhh, listen.'

It was slow, almost inaudible; there was the sound of purring… then more loudly came the shouts of men… and then a deafening roar and torrents of fire shot up to the sky, painting the forest red.

James and Peter advanced at once only to find themselves in a large clearing far from the periphery of the forest. In front of them, four gigantic creatures towered over them, their lizard like body chained to the ground. They roared, and orange flames gushed out from their fanged mouths like lava spilling from volcanoes.

'Dragons!' James exclaimed.

'Keep them in place, Hans,' yelled a red-haired wizard, whose wand pointed firmly at the leather straps that chained the dragons. At least thirty other wizards scattered around them in a similar manner.

'Tough work, Charlie,' replied a man in yellow opposite the brick red dragon in the far left. 'My Chinese Fireball is fierce.'

'Hardly as fierce as mine,' laughed Charlie the red-haired wizard. He secured the straps of the black dragon before him, its webbed wings flapping in vain as it tried to free from the straps. 'Hungarian Horntails are wild in nature. I feel bad for whoever that's gonna get past it.'

'Well, yeah, they're not so much fun to play with,' agreed a tall witch standing next to the blue-green dragon. 'What a demanding task the judging panel's set.'

'So this is Harry's first task!' hissed James. 'Getting past dragons!'

'The big woman from Beauxbatons is lurking there,' Peter elbowed his friend, pointing at Madame Maxime, whose torso was so huge that half her body was visible even though she squatted down among the hedges.

'And Mr Goatee from Durmstrang,' nodded James towards the black Hungarian Horntail, behind which Karkaroff stood, his face void of any expressions. 'So that leaves Harry and Diggory in the dark,' said James with his hands curling into fists. 'How fair.'

'Let's go back and tell Harry,' Peter elbowed James again, and the two hurriedly trotted back to the castle.

* * *

'… And the flying umbrella stopped right over my head, and I was like "geez I couldn't have been luckier having it in a rain." And you know what? The next thing I knew was dung pouring all over me,' Sirius grinned in the dark. Lying beside him was Remus, who was half relaxed in the full extent of humanity around him, and half fighting to decipher the sounds Sirius made, which was too complex for his groggy mind to understand at the moment.

'Now, do you know who sent that bloody umbrella?' Sirius paused and poked Remus lightly, who made a noncommittal 'hm'. But it seemed that Sirius was not expecting any intelligible answer, for he inhaled sharply (to be more dramatic) and whispered, 'it could be Regulus the brat…' he bent over, 'or James the prat …' his chin was now on the mattress, 'or Kreacher the gnat. Make a guess: which one do you think it was?'

Normally Remus would've rolled his eyes at Sirius's dismal attempt at rhyming all his sentences, but tonight he was grateful for whatever sounds that were more human than howls and feral growls.

'The answer is …Duuuun! I am not telling you,' Sirius straightened and chuckled, 'but if you promise to be Keeper in our evening games I might give a hint. You hardly have to move a muscle if you're Keeper at my side, 'cause no one ever gets pass me.' He laughed quietly, his head tilting slightly, 'I'm being very considerate here, Moony. So, made up your mind yet? Well I understand if you haven't, how about this …'

Sirius fumbled in his robes. If anyone had been listening, they would be amused at the handsome, sassy, arrogant Sirius Black muttering nonsense to himself, and even more so if they learned that it was a common scene after every full moon.

'…Here, one of the great inventions of Sirius Black and James Potter, now on loan to Remus Lupin.' He took out two shining Galleons, pressing one into Remus's palm. 'If you say a heating charm holding either one of them, the two Galleons will glow and heat at the same time, like this: _Calefacio_ ,' muttered Sirius, and two golden dots emerged in the dark, one in Sirius's hand and the other in Remus's.

'Now Moony, you can…' Sirius stopped abruptly, for footsteps echoed in the corridor outside. He rolled aside and under the bed. Next second, Snape swept in like a giant bat, his black robes billowing behind him.

'Lupin,' said Snape quietly, 'I see you haven't died.'

'Severus.'

Through swollen eyelids, Remus stared up at the thin man with as much defiance as he could muster. Snape's hair was greasy as it had been in his youth, parting in the middle. Framed by the black curtains was a sallow face that had grown more lines and bitterness that had not been apparent back then.

'You have no right to address me like that, werewolf,' hissed Snape, 'Dumbledore trusts you, but I never have, adult or young.' He bent over so that his hooked nose was inches away from Remus's forehead, his voice silky and cold, 'your broken ribs punctured your lungs, only centimetres away from your heart.' He blinked, black eyes sparking with a mad light, 'if I could change the future, I so hope that it had pierced right through your heart.'

Remus held his gaze level with Snape's. 'You're pathetic,' he said softly.

'Am I?' Snape leaned back, the corner of his mouth curled unpleasantly. 'Where are you cronies?'

'My friends are in bed,' said Remus.

Snape made no reply. He barely stood there, his cold gaze swept all over Remus. 'In a few years' time,' he whispered, 'you'll find yourself foolish that you ever call them _friends_.' He paused, pulling out a small bottle from his robes, his voice emotionless. 'The Headmaster wants to inform you that you will be having the Wolfsbane potion every day of the week preceding the full moon. It'll preserve your pathetic amount of humanity as you sleep through the transformation. Next time, you'll have no excuse to be late to class. Do you understand?'

Without waiting for Remus's reply, Snape advanced and kicked the bed hard. 'And you as well, Black. Now _get out and go back to your dorm this second,'_ he snarled.

Sirius swore. Clutching his bruised shoulder, he stood up promptly as Snape pointed his wand directly at him.

Before he took a step, Sirius leaned so his lips were just next to Remus's ears. 'Now, Moony, you can tell me whenever you've made up your mind,' Sirius whispered. With a last squeeze on Remus's hand that held the Galleon, he strode out of the Hospital Wing behind Snape, his chin held high.


	8. A Very Busy Week

James and Peter ran towards the Gryffindor Common Room. It was nearly one in the morning; Harry could have gone to bed long before that. Though bursting into the dormitory was no strange business for the Marauders, it was Harry's dorm after all, and James was eager to display his most caring side to his future son to whom he had taken a great liking since he first set eyes on him.

'At least show your faces, young men,' mumbled the Fat Lady as she swung her portrait open, revealing the portrait hole for the still invisible James and Peter to enter. 'Respect is absolutely necessary at all times, even when you're invisible. Yes, I know you're under a spell or something,' she said haughtily.

'Sorry, next time,' James muttered as they climbed through the hole. The Common Room was in semidarkness, the torches on the wall were no longer burning. A silhouette with messy hair was crouching in front of the fireplace, listening intently to someone speaking, unmoving and unaware of the two approaching boys.

'…Karkaroff has a motive. I'm not saying it must be him, but I knew him well enough to suspect him,' said a hoarse voice, which James assumed was coming from the fireplace.

'You knew him?' asked the boy in front of the fireplace who James recognised in a second was Harry. Relieved that he didn't have to burst into the dorm, James tiptoed forward, wanting to surprise Harry by bringing the news of the first task to him.

'Well, not exactly. He was caught the same time as I,' the voice sounded tired and grim. James could see that it belonged to a head in the fire, a head of a man with unkempt dark hair and a handsome face, though its beauty was marred by the permanently haunted expression it was wearing. It was at the same time familiar yet strange: James was sure he had seen the man somewhere but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

'He pulled a few stunts to earn the Ministry's trust,' continued the man, his grey eyes deadened and cold in the blazing fire, 'he wasn't popular in Azkaban, I tell you. Well, not that I was particular popular either even after twelve years in that damn place,' he laughed bitterly. 'Your father would find it funny that Sirius Black was finally not everyone's favourite boy.

'Sirius?' gasped James, the invisibility cloak falling off and revealing him and Peter. Harry spun around, looking flabbergasted and horrified. The man in the fire froze, his gaze fixated on James and Peter and his lips slightly parted.

For some minutes, no one spoke or moved. Finally, the man – the older Sirius spoke, his voice odd and empty. 'Long time no see, James.' His gaze swept over to Peter, who couldn't help but shiver under the blade-like stare.

Harry jumped; gesticulating frantically, he placed himself between the fireplace and the jaw-dropped James and Peter, 'Er… I was talking to ….um… y'know, er…'

'We haven't been properly introduced, Harry,' said Sirius steadily, 'I'm Sirius from 1994.' He paused but kept staring at James and Peter, as though he was searching for something on them, 'I know about you. Harry told me everything.'

'Good Godric!' James dashed forward and squatted down before Sirius's head, 'did you say you were in Az-'

'Did you want to see me, James?' Harry piped up.

'Uh – that, ah yes,' James ruffled his hair, 'I was going to tell you that we went to the forest. We saw dragons – four big, fire shooting dragons. That's your first task, Harry, getting past dragons.'

'The Beauxbatons woman and Durmstrang goatee were there, so the other champions probably know about that already,' added Peter.

'Dragons,' Sirius looked thoughtful, 'quite exciting for a first task, isn't it?'

'I wouldn't say so,' said Peter timidly. 'There were some thirty wizards there to look over a single dragon, but it was still shooting fire and roaring.'

Sirius looked over to Peter but did not speak. He spoke again as his gaze returned to Harry and James. 'That's why you shouldn't use a Stunning Spell on dragons. They're simply too strong and too powerful to be stunned. But there's a way, a simple spell –' He stopped suddenly and peered left and right with a wary expression. Then without another word, his head disappeared with a 'pop' sound.

'Sirius?' James asked tentatively.

'He's gone,' said Harry, now slumping against the armchair like a deflated balloon. 'He was using some wizard's fire and someone must've heard him…'

'Why did he have to use someone else's fire when he's got his own?' said James, his face pregnant with sternness that was rarely seen on him. 'And what about him being in Azkaban?'

'I don't know –'

'Yes, you do,' said James sharply, the cogs in his brain turning. 'You met him at one because you didn't want anyone seeing him. He used someone else's fireplace because… because he didn't have one, and he couldn't be seen, so he had to be secretive. Am I correct?'

Harry slumped even more, his face buried in his palms. 'It's not what it seems - you're not supposed to know –'

'You can tell us anything, I'm your father,' James shook Harry with a force a little greater than necessary. 'And Peter is our friend, it's Sirius we're talking about –'

'NO HE'S NOT!' bellowed Harry, no longer caring whether that would be loud enough to wake the whole castle. 'HE'S – HE'S - I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS ANYMORE! KEEP YOUR NOSES OUT OF THIS, YOU CAN'T HELP IT –'

'What was that about?' Suddenly, Ron emerged from the staircase, looking sullen and tired. 'Who were you talking to?'

Harry spun around and found himself alone. Apparently James and Peter had already pulled on the cloak. Face flushed with anger, Harry snarled, 'You! I said keep your nose out of my business!'

Ron paled, his hands curled into fists. 'Of course I shouldn't be disturbing the great Harry Potter,' he snapped. 'He's the great Hogwarts champion, he's the glorious –'

'Get loss!' Harry growled and threw a sock at Ron. It hit him right in the face, and without another word, Ron spun on his heels and got up the stairs at once. Grabbing his own invisibility cloak, Harry disappeared into thin air.

At length, Peter ventured timidly, 'Harry?'

The room was completely quiet save the crackling fire that held Sirius's head a minute ago.

'He's either gone or sulking under the cloak,' said James wearily. 'C'mon, let's go back to our room. I'm knackered.'

* * *

Harry kept avoiding James after the incident in the Common Room. For several times James looked over the table at meals only to find Harry poking his food incessantly. They were never alone; Harry seemed to enjoy Sirius's company so much that they were always together. Paranoid as James was, he refused to believe that his best friend was in future the prisoner of Azkaban. So when he saw that Harry was determined not to raise the subject again, James could do nothing but push his worries aside. After all, Harry's task was more important at the moment.

Now that the secret of the first task was out among the teenagers, they dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to finding a solution for Harry. The library was now a hotspot for the Marauders and Lily, but the combined efforts of Remus, Lily and Hermione on ploughing through the books in the library had not brought them far.

'Dragons make excellent pets. They could be as tame as grizzly bears and as clever as giant rabbits,' Remus read out loudly. 'Their fluffy fur is the source of … oh forget it,' he grunted, tossing _We Love Pet Dragons_ aside. Five days in the Hospital Wing had not put him in a good mood.

'Maybe Hagrid wrote it,' said Hermione half-heartedly, her hand brushing over the cover of _Pondering over the Giant Lizards_. ' _Written by Duvig Iskamowa, this is a collection of the Russian poet who was one of the greatest poets in Wizarding History and whose poems have a distinct contemplative, observatory style…'_

Meanwhile, Lily flicked through _Everything about Dragons_ in a brisk, business-like manner. She scanned the pages methodically, though after three hours in the library she, too, couldn't help but call it a day.

On the other hand, James and Sirius had adopted a different approach. They believed that if teachers set the games, they must have learnt enough beforehand and might let slip if you pestered them long enough.

'Professor Flitwick, I've got a question,' James raised his hand for the fiftieth time in a single Charms period. 'Is there a spell that can tackle really big creatures? Say … fire-shooting, winged creatures that are a hundred times your height?'

'Mr Potter, that's a very good question,' the tiny professor squeaked, appearing totally oblivious to the comment on his size. 'Before we answer that, we need to go back to the basics of charms: what are charms? What makes charms? Who casts charms? How…'

He rambled on and on. By the time the bell rang, not matter how hard James tried to allude to dragons, Flitwick simply didn't pick up the clue and the word 'dragon' wasn't even mentioned in his long-winded speech.

Seeing his friend's defeat, Sirius was eager for his turn. 'Professor, you look lovely today,' he smiled charmingly at Professor Sprout. 'I wonder if these Sleepyberries could be fed to make one have a good dream.'

'Now, now, Mr Black,' Professor Sprout chuckled good-naturedly, 'Sleepyberries are named so only because of their natural tendency to sleep when cultivating, but not their effects on humans or any sort of creatures.' She bent and examined James's and Sirius's pots of Sleepyberries, nodding approvingly, 'Very good, skillfully extracted and maintained…' she then turned to Remus's stooping berries, 'I'm afraid your berries didn't like the sunshine you gave them, Mr Lupin,' she handed him a pile of newspapers, 'use them to wrap them up, that level of darkness should do.'

So when the Marauders and Lily met the Trio again in the library, Remus holding a pot of newspaper-wrapped Sleepyberries and Peter's drool all over his shirt, none of them had much to report, not to mention James, Harry and Ron were still engaging in some awkward avoiding-each-other game.

Time passed quickly, and when students were getting more and more excited about the First Task in a few days, the Marauders-Gryffindor-Trio group was becoming more and more devastated. Their fruitlessness had exhausted Harry so much that he decided to stay clear of dragons and spells for just an evening and have a walk around the castle.

He had so much on his mind already that he felt like exploding. His thoughts wondered back to the night with Sirius, James and Peter, and a sudden stab of pain spread in his chest. How could he talk to his father like that when all he had with him was the memory of _'Run, Lily! Get him and run! I'll hold him off – ',_ the night his parents were killed? Why couldn't he simply cherish every moment with him when fate had arranged his parents' visit, albeit by the most bizarre manner possible? And could he even blame James for caring about his best friend? He would've done the same for Ron and Hermione, even if the truth hurt. Then there was still the older Sirius to worry about, and Wormtail lurking around … oh Wormtail, the hideous rat Peter had become. How should he deal with him? How should he cope with it all?...

His legs took him around, but he never noticed where he was, or how he had arrived at his favourite spot when he had a lot in mind – the Owlery. But now, not even the quiet, peaceful place could give him solace for it painfully reminded him of Sirius, who was still on the loose and who he hadn't been in contact since he last saw him in the fire a few nights ago. _Maybe Hedwig forgot to bring me his lette_ r, he thought, though he was not hopeful. But since he was here, he was going to check on Hedwig anyway.

'Remus?' Harry was surprised to see the tawny-haired boy on his own, leaning against the fence and staring at the sky.

'Oh- hi, Harry,' Remus jumped and addressed Harry with a startled look. In the dim-lit Owlery, he was white in the dark like an apparition.

'I was just going to check on Hedwig,' Harry indicated the snowy owl now perched on his shoulder, snuggling close to his cheek endearingly. 'Were you posting a letter?' asked Harry curiously.

'Not really,' Remus shrugged, his composure quickly recovering. 'I was just having a bit of fresh air here. The dragons stuff is exhausting.'

Harry moved closer to the skinny boy, who seemed to look permanently sickly and pale even when his next transformation was weeks away. Harry's heart wrenched with sympathy and sadness as he remembered the events that happened last year, his mind having little difficulty linking the sickly boy to the shabby professor who taught him the Patronus charm.

'You don't have to do that for me, you know,' said Harry quietly, 'you've been working a lot already, I really appreciate that… if there's really nothing, so be it,' he shrugged casually, pushing his fear aside. 'You should rest.'

Remus turned. Harry could see that he was trembling slightly as he looked at him squarely in the eye. 'We all do this willingly. We want to help,' he turned back to the fence, his gaze resting on the vast Hogwarts grounds beneath him. 'You know, James and the others have been searching for a way to cure my lycanthropy …not that they have taken in any of my protests telling them there _isn't_ a way,' Remus smiled stiffly, a sheen of tears made his eyes sparkled in the dark like stars, 'but I appreciate it all the same. I think it's only fair that I extend the same courtesy to his son.'

Harry swallowed. James would do anything for his friends, whether it was Remus the werewolf or Sirius the prisoner – _or Peter_ , said a small voice in his mind, his father would not hesitate to do anything in his power to help them.

'Could you tell me about my parents?' asked Harry quietly. 'I want to … know more about them, like, as children.'

If Remus found his request strange, he did not show it. 'James, as I said, is determined to find out a way to cure me. He's one of the most talented pupils in our year, and an excellent Quidditch player. He's our Chaser,' Remus drummed his fingers on the fence lightly. 'But what I find most precious is his loyalty to people he care. I'm one of them, but there're also Sirius and Peter. He didn't have the same prejudices as others about the Blacks - James and Sirius are brothers in everything but blood. As for Peter, when everyone's judging him for his looks and grades, James treats him as his equal, and more importantly, friend.'

'And my mother?' whispered Harry.

'Lily appears to be fiery-tempered, but she's actually kind and caring,' Remus chuckled. 'We all find this funny, but … well, Lily and James don't exactly get along at this stage, who knows what the future has in store for them,' said Remus with an undertone of awe and something Harry couldn't quite grasp. After some heavy breaths, Remus continued, 'Lily has been friends with me since first year. Like James, she displays exceptional talent at magic, even more so than her fellows who were brought up in magical households.'

Remus fell into silence, but Harry was surprised to find that the silence between them was not at all awkward but relaxing. Memories of the afternoons he spent with Professor Lupin learning the Patronus charm or simply having a cheerful chat flooded his mind, but the learned man was much more distant though more mature than the thin boy before him. Professor Lupin would not leave any gaps between conversations; he always knew what to say to cheer Harry up and comfort him. Even when Harry touched on sensitive topics (like Sirius), Lupin would skillfully steer them back to safe waters. Just how tough the twelve years had been for Remus to smooth the edges of the reserved, awkward boy and mould himself into the tactful, polite professor?

At last, Harry said quietly, 'James and I had a row some days ago. I shouted at him.'

'I figured,' said Remus absentmindedly. He fidgeted with the frayed hem of his cardigan, shifting slightly against the fence, 'don't worry about it. When Sirius and James have a fight they always make up with a smack on their back the next day and that's that.'

When they said their goodbyes and left the Owlery, Harry felt much secure and relieved at facing James in the morning. No longer having a rock in his chest, Harry drifted off soon after he climbed into bed.

 **A/N: The next update is gonna take a bit of time since I'll be away from home. Thanks for everyone who's been reading so far!**


	9. The First Task

**A/N: Hey! I'm back!**

'Let's try this again,' said Lily tiredly. It's the third time the time travellers ran through the spell section already. 'There must be something.'

Peter looked defeated. 'The spells are either too complicated for a fourth-year or too weak to use on a dragon,' he sighed.

'Oh! What about –' Sirius jumped suddenly, attracting the attention of nearly all the users of the library. 'What about something simple, like- like – the Stunning Spell?'

'That's no use,' James shook his head. 'Dragons are too strong for a Stunning Spell to work effectively … hello Harry,' he greeted at his son tentatively, who had just sprinted into the library and still panting heavily.

'Oh yes, James's right,' Harry nodded fervently as he threw James a wink.

James released a breath he didn't know he was holding. 'Anything good, Harry? You look like you're fit enough to smack Snivellus's balls.'

'Yeah, fine,' replied Harry ( 'Language, James Potter!' Lily hissed). 'I think I've found a way… just ran into Professor Moody, and he advised that I play to my strengths.'

'And that is…' Hermione eyed him uncertainly.

'Flying. I'm good at flying,' said Harry firmly. 'I need to master the Summoning Charm by tomorrow afternoon. I'll summon my broom to the stadium.'

James thumped on the table with a loud bang. 'That's a wicked idea! Should've pestered Moody instead of Flitwick and Sprout!'

'Then what are we waiting for?' exclaimed Sirius. 'Let's go and practise.'

'When?' asked Hermione warily.

'Now, of course,' Lily snorted, picking up her books and walking out the room with Ron and Hermione, shaking her head exasperatedly. 'It's Divination, aka the Marauders' free period.'

'Well, great,' Harry looked furtively between Lily and James, and when he saw James nod in approval, he brightened up immediately, sounding much firmer this time, ' _excellent_. Shall we use the empty classroom downstairs?'

'Count me in when the bell goes,' Lily's remark echoed in the hallway as she left for the North Tower.

* * *

Quills, books, chairs, desks and parchments were everywhere. Harry stood in the middle of the mess, wand in one hand and panting heavily.

'Ten galleons say he won't learn the charm,' Sirius bared his teeth in a very canine manner. As much as he hoped Harry would master the charm sooner, Harry's current progress had him crestfallen and bored. Just as he believed that there must be a way to cure Remus's lycanthropy, Sirius also thought that there must be another way to deal with the dragons aside from the Summoning Charm.

'How dare you! Fifty say he will!' exclaimed James indignantly. 'He will! Today! This second! Now!'

Sirius scoffed, 'You only say so because he's you and Lily's –'

'Will you stop betting on how stupid I am?' shouted Harry from across the pile of quills and parchments before him. He flicked his wand furiously, but only sparks came out and no charms performed. He had been practising for hours with the Marauders now, James and Sirius, as usual, had got the hang of it thirty minutes into the session. Remus curled up quietly aside, checking spell books. Peter learned the spell much slower than James and Sirius, though unlike Harry, who had so far been unsuccessful to summon anything, Peter had been able to summon quills and upturnchairs quite sloppily for a few times.

'I said we shouldn't dawdle over it! Get another spell and move on! And nobody gave a damn!' Sirius yelled, his hands curled into fists.

'You give him time! Not everyone is as smart as us!' retorted James, trying to sound reassuring, only to earn a glare from Harry. James stood up in a business-like manner and came to Harry. 'Here! Look at me … you move your wand like this …' His wand drew invisible lines in the air, though it made no sense to anybody else apart from himself.

'No, look at me,' Sirius squeezed himself between James and Harry. 'It's easy, really, first you draw a circle the size of your head, then you move down to the position of your waist, then up, down, left, diagonally to your temple, finally swiftly and determinedly, say _Accio_ whatever – for example, _Accio_ Peter!'

With a cry, Peter hurtled towards them. Just as Harry dodged the great mass by a hair's breadth and the subsequent collision of James and Peter, Sirius stretched his hands out and announced in an almost bored voice, 'That's it.'

'How?' Harry grunted, his hair even messier in his state of utter despair and anger.

'Maybe you should practise in the next room?' came Remus's hesitant reply from the corner he'd been curling up in. 'All you need is concentration and quietness, not taunting and wagers.'

'Oh, the holy, pristine, saintly Remus Lupin has finally shed light on this worrisome situation,' snapped Sirius. Remus had not made a single remark during the last few hours. 'You kept quiet while we did all the teaching only because you were angry with us dragging you out of sodding Divination.'

Both Harry and Remus ignored him. 'Come with me?' Harry beckoned to Remus, and the two disappeared from Sirius's vision.

By late evening, Harry had been able to perform the Summoning Charm really well, thanks to Remus, Hermione and Lily. The rest of the gang grew bored of the teaching session quickly and declared that they needed a little more fun by raiding the kitchen. When the boys returned and everyone was full (since they worked so diligently that they missed dinner), Hermione insisted that they stop practising and go to sleep, especially Harry, in full preparation for the First Task the next day.

Sun set and rose, the sky darkened and lit up again. Morning went like a haze; though they were not the actual participants, the time travellers were tense and tight in the stomach all the same. Not only were James and Sirius creating exceptional chaos that day; Lily and Remus, the 'goody two-shoes' as Sirius had termed, were also jittery and moody. Poor Peter, who was on the receiving end of his friends' nerves, was unusually subdued.

Finally, the dreadful moment arrived. All afternoon classes were cancelled so that the staff and students could go to the stadium and watch the First Task. Harry was to go down first with the other three champions to receive instructions from Ludo Bagman, the Ministry officer in charge of the Tournament.

'We'll come with you,' said James as he pulled the invisibility cloak over him and Sirius. 'We'll stay until you go and fight.'

'It subdues Moony every time he transforms, so we thought we'd give you a little support too,' explained Sirius.

'Thanks,' Harry gave them a whole-hearted smile.

Trailing behind Harry by an arm's length so that they wouldn't bump into Harry but could reach out to him, James and Sirius saw McGonagall talk to Harry in a rather shaky sort of voice, Harry reply flatly and Ludo Bagman welcome him into a small white tent without making a sound. Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum and Cedric Diggory were already there, all looking clammy and pale and pacing up and down, quite unlike their usual composed selves.

' – you'll be choosing your… er, obstacle from this bag! Take turns, the four of you,' said Bagman jovially. A small drawstring bag dangled from his hand, and something clattered inside as he gave a bag a small shake.

'Don't choose the black one,' whispered James. 'That's the Hungarian Horntail, the most difficult one.'

'Thanks, but it's not like I can see through the bag,' Harry muttered.

One after one, the champions put their shaky hands in and drew out the models. Fleur got the Welsh Green, Krum the Chinese Fireball, and Cedric the bluish-grey Swedish Short-Snout. Being the last one to pick, unsurprisingly Harry got the Hungarian Horntail with a number four labelled on it.

'Told you to pick first,' Sirius grumbled as quietly as he could. 'And you listened to fucking James. See what you got!'

'In all fairness, he still could've got the Hungarian Horntail if he picked first,' said James levelly.

'Well, there you are!' announced Bagman. 'So when the whistle blows, the one with the model labelled "one" – that is, Mr Diggory – will go first, and so on and so forth. I'm leaving now to do the commentating, and … well, good luck,' and then he was gone.

In the golden afternoon sun, Harry sat against the tent, slouching and looking tired. James and Sirius could not make jokes or snarky comments about the other champions, but they leaned close to Harry, hoping to comfort him with their presence.

Somewhere the whistle blew, and Cedric walked out the tent. The quietness in the tent was a stark contrast with the outside world, for time seemed to have frozen and everyone was trapped in this particular moment. The crowd in the stadium cheered, yelled, gasped, and yelled again. Bagman's cheery voice echoed, reporting to the unmoving occupants of the tent whatever Cedric was doing to get past his Chinese Fireball. Fifteen minutes later, a deafening roar erupted, and the whistle blew again.

'Good job, Mr Diggory! Without further ado, let's welcome Miss Delacour to the stadium!' Bagman's voice boomed.

The above process repeated once as Fleur got the egg and Krum walked out, leaving Harry, James and Sirius in the tent.

'Woah, that was intense,' Sirius breathed. 'So!'

'So,' Harry mumbled gloomily.

'So,' James echoed, looking rather excited. He pulled off the cloak and scratched his head. 'So, me and Sirius have something for you.'

Seeing Harry's blank expression, Sirius elaborated, 'It's something we got from the pile of books we thought were useless actually. While flying is already a wicked idea, you still can't get near the egg if the mother dragon is all around it. What you need is a repelling charm on you, so you can repel the dragon like opposite magnets and get the egg.'

Harry looked uncertain. 'Wouldn't it be cheating …?'

'Everybody cheats. Why not?' Sirius shrugged.

'And you're underage, it's not like it's already fair in the first place,' said James in an owlish manner.

'Well … but that's not the same…' Harry hesitated.

'What's not the same? C'mon!' said Sirius impatiently.

'I mean I've already got Moody's help and now – ' Harry began shaking his head just as another deafening roar erupted and Bagman yelled, 'Wow! That famous Wronski Feint! Mr Krum has put it to great use - '

'Quick, no time left now!' James hurried past Sirius and put his hand on Harry's shoulder, turning him around with great force. 'It's not a complicated spell and it'll help a lot –'

'No James - what if someone noti-'

'- that's a near miss! And now he soars up to the sky – '

'No one will!' Sirius yelled amidst cheers and hurrays and Bagman's vivid commentary. 'Here, _Brackium Emendo_! _'_

Harry slumped. Sirius blinked.

'Um…? Harry?'

Harry stirred. He grunted painfully but did not stand up. 'My legs… bones …'

The crowd cheered, as if they were already celebrating Harry's comedic failure.

'That,' James wiped sweat off his forehead, 'should not go like this.'

'Ugh? Harry?' Sirius bent and grabbed Harry's arm and nearly passed out. ' _Oh my fucking god_!'

Before him, Harry's legs dangled – more appropriately, dangled and curled underneath him like a pile of flesh-coloured rubber tubes. Instead of performing a repelling charm, Sirius had vanished all the bones in Harry's legs starting from his bum.

'Not again…' Harry grumbled hopelessly. 'The bones need a night to grow back! Now I can't even sit! How am I going to fly – _to fight_?'

'I…' Sirius fumbled with his wand, but his mind was as blank as Peters' exam script.

' – awesome! Brilliant! Exceptional! He got the egg! A big round of applause for Mr Krum - '

James's face went bloodless. 'Ohmerlin'sballswhatshouldwedo?'

' - now, it's time for our final and youngest champion –'

'AHHHHHHHHHHH!' Sirius shouted shrilly, no longer caring if someone heard him. 'HEREHEREHERE, JAMES, HERE-'

' – Mr Harry Potter –'

James felt his silky invisibility cloak get yanked out of his hands. In a blur, a somewhat leathery red stuff was pulled over him which vaguely reminded him of his Quidditch robes. With an ear-deafening cry, he was sent forcibly forward through something white and landing with his four limbs sprawled out, his face crashed into the floor.

' – if you please!'

Cursing loudly, James got up and stopped breathing. Around him were thousands of pairs of eyes and people cheering loudly. He was no longer in the tent but the anterior of the stadium, directly some ten feet before him was the roaring, fire-shooting Hungarian Horntail, chained to a great rock and curling its rail around a bright golden egg the size of a human head.

Sirius had pulled over Harry's competing robes on James and sent him out in place of Harry.


	10. Doppelgangers

'What the hell –'

James's heart hammered in his chest; he wouldn't be surprised if it eventually drilled a hole on his sternum and got out on its own. He speculated his surroundings: on the spectator stands, a sea of black and blue robes billowed in the afternoon breeze as students wearing scarves of different colours waved and cheered. In particular, those wearing red-and-gold scarves roared like real lions, showing their Gryffindor solidarity with him – correction, with Harry. He squinted, trying to see where the Marauders and Lily were, but in the distance he couldn't quite make out the faces in detail.

A smaller stand positioned at the very front was the judges' stand, where Dumbledore, Madam Maxime, Karkaroff and Crouch sat. For a moment, Dumbledore's half-moon glasses caught the sunlight and a blinding beam shone right onto James; reflexively he ducked his head, hoping no one would recognise who he actually was. But he hardly had to hide; he knew it clearly that he and Harry looked so much alike that even Lily did a double take when she first met Harry in Dumbledore's office (as he smugly recalled).

'That's the spirit! See how Mr Potter bounced with energy!' Bagman clapped loudly on the commentator box. The rest of the audience followed, though some people were laughing so hard at James's dramatic entrance that the noise made James slightly dizzy. As the Quidditch star of the team who was used to big events, a hammering heart and dizziness in the head were really saying something.

'Did you _have_ to commentate on how I got chucked out against my will by my so-called best mate?' James shot a dirty glare at the pudgy commentator. 'If I die I'll have to kill every person with 'b' as the first letter of their surname… hang on, I couldn't really kill them if I – ARGHHHHH MY BUM IS ON FIRE!'

James was so engaged in his habitual self-murmuring that he ignored the mass presence of the yellow-eyed, black-scaled giant lizard before him. Suddenly feeling extremely hot at the back, James turned and almost fell down on the floor again as leaping flames danced merrily on his back, threatening to spiral up and reach his hair any second.

'Mr Potter seems to have been distracted for a second – oh no! The Hungarian Horntail breathes a fireball – and it catches the hem of Potter's robes!'

'Damn! Damndamndamndamn!' James yanked his robes off and stomped it on the floor. 'Bastard! Wanker! Scum! SOD YOU SIRIUS BLACK! FUCK THE UNIVERSE! AREN'T I SUPPOSED TO DO SOMETHING NOW?BUT I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING?'

'What will Mr Potter's strategy be? He looks confident enough, unlike other champions, who were tense and guarded … ah, pacing up and down now... Hold your breaths, people, he's up to something …'

 _Up and down, up and down…_ James racked his brain. This seemed to remind him of something … Not pacing, of course … Jumping? Diving? No –

' _Flying!_ ' James's eyes shot wide open. Without wasting another second, he shouted at the top of his lungs, ' _Accio_ Harry's Firebolt!'

The broom shot from the castle towards James like an arrow. He jumped and grabbed it tightly in his palms like his whole life depended on it. With a swift move, he swung his leg over the broom and soared into midair. The familiar sensations came back: he was once again in the pitch, facing off with the opponent; this was, after all, just another Quidditch match.

'Okay, Harry said he sees it like catching the Snitch,' James bit his lips. 'Okay, yes, just like it … imagine I'm Seeker now… and the Snitch – the egg, is in the dragon's possession…' Bile seemed to rise up his chest; while riding a broom brought him back to his comfort zone, he could not help shake off an odd feeling as if something was wrong.

'Concentrate, Potter,' he took a deep breath, 'you haven't been on a broom for ages, and it's time you show Lily and Harry what a great man you are.'

He circulated the great creature in the speed of lightning, making it turned its head around and around, its spiky tail beating the muddy floor impatiently. Finally, it had become so annoyed that it opened its fanged mouth and roared.

Aiming at the slit between two golden fireballs, James dived. Hot, damp air rushed towards him, at once he felt that every bone inside his body was going to melt, and every inch of his skin would burn and sizzle. He struggled to keep his eyelids upright, but it seemed that even the sheen of water lubricating his eyeballs had evaporated that it was impossible to see.

'He dives right into the dragon's mouth…Flames swallow him… oh Merlin, where is he?'

Between scathing tears, burned eyelashes and splitting rocks, James could vaguely make out the blazing egg between the Horntail's claws, it was so closed – so closed that he only had to reach out and grab –

And a searing sensation on his right arm got the better of him: one of the Horntail's fangs, drippling with slimy saliva, had pierced right into his upper arm. 'Ouch!' he rolled back painfully, his left hand still on the Firebolt's handle, muscle tightening and directing the broom outwards and upwards with his greatest might.

'There he is!' Bagman yelled. 'Black ashes cover nearly the whole of his face, and blood is dripping down his right arm… and there he soars again!'

Whether the cut was not really deep or the arm was slowly becoming numb that the pain was fading, James did not know. Soaring up and buying time, a million possibilities stretched in James's mind: there was no way he could make a dive and get the egg right away; the dragon was too protective of its egg, and even a Firebolt was too slow compared to flames from a dragon's mouth.

 _'He advised that I play to my strengths,'_ Harry had said. Yes, flying and pursuing the target were Harry's strengths; as a Seeker he had been used to searching the Snitch and catching it, dodging and avoiding all obstacles that the opposite team placed. But these were not James's fortes. What had he got anyway? He thought ruefully. Mentally he made a list: he was a poor wooer, a great learner, a genius prankster – _and an excellent Chaser_. That's right! It explained the unusual awkwardness, the slight stiffness he felt: as a Chaser, he was always the one to cast, to pass, to forward, not the one to seek. If this was a real Quidditch game, he'd need a Quaffle, a ball, not a Snitch –

 _But the bloody Quaffle is locked securely in the storeroom,_ a small voice in James's brain said. _And you're idiotic enough to think that a single Quaffle can fight a full-sized Hungarian Horntail?_

'The Horntail raises its head again, looking for Potter, who, as the audience at the back can see, is covered from the dragon's vision by a massive rock…'

 _Think. Think. If you can't fight, run; if you can't run, make a decoy –_

'I wonder if it can sense his smell…? Here! It advances steadily towards the rock…'

A hundred small voices buzzed inside James's head, but none of them seemed to make sense at this particular moment. Hardly know what he was doing anymore, James let his instincts guide him. Raising his half-numb right arm in the air, he yelled, a desperate plea from the promptings of the heart, ' _Accio_ dungbombs!'

* * *

Back on the spectator stands, Remus, Peter and Lily sat together, their eyes never leaving the competing boy. Ron and Hermione sat next to them, with his heightened senses (the full moon was approaching) Remus could hear their hearts throbbing madly in their chests.

'He flies so well,' said Peter admiringly. 'Just like James. Like father, like son.'

'Yea,' Remus agreed, his head turning left and right, not wanting to miss a single move of the flying champion. 'They are like the exact same person. James will be proud. Why haven't James and Sirius come back, by the way?'

Lily grunted. She was in the process of opening her mouth to make some sarcastic comment when she suddenly took a deep breath and asked, 'What's that smell?'

Before anyone could answer, four brown, swirling-substance-containing, ball-like structures swept past their heads by a mere three inches, repelling the audience under with the putrid trails they left. One ball accidently caught on Peter's flailing hand; with a loud 'BANG', it exploded and the brown substance within splashed all over him and Ron, who unfortunately was sitting next to Peter.

Reflexively, Remus rolled over and pulled Lily behind him. It was an immediate measure all too familiar to Remus; dungbombs exploding all of a sudden was not atypical when he had basically lived in a dungbomb storeroom since the moment he stepped into Hogwarts, thanks to James and Sirius.

'D-dungbombs?!' Ron and Hermione squealed.

'When we practised the Summoning Charm, dungbombs were definitely not on our list!' Hermione screeched, backing away from Ron and Peter. 'Stop shaking Ron! I don't want to return having dung all over me!'

'I didn't want this as well, and I already have dung all over me,' Ron grimaced. 'What's Harry thinking –!'

'JAMES POTTER!' Peter shrieked, flailing his dung-covered hands even harder. 'I'LL KILL YOU!'

'Keep your voice down!' Lily hissed while pinching her nose and dodging dung from Peter's soaked robes. 'Do not say the obscene J word in front of people!'

'HE'S UP THERE!' Peter took no notice of Lily's warning. 'HEY! POTTER! COME DOWN THIS SECOND AND WE'LL BEGIN THE EXECUTION - '

' _Silencio_ ,' Remus waved his wand casually as Lily's eyes widened in shock, her expressions quickly wavering between worry, anger and amusement. 'Sorry Pete, people can't know that and you won't calm down in another good minute.' He waved his wand again, and the stains and dung vanished into thin air. 'The smell will linger, but at least you're clean, so you can, er, continue to watch the Task.'

'Where's Harry? And Sirius?' Hermione whispered.

'No idea,' Remus said with a deep crease between his brows. Quietly he reached into his pocket, clutching the magic galleon Sirius had given him and muttered, ' _Calefacio_.' He was slightly less worried when a few seconds later the galleon filled his pocket with warmth again after he initiated the heating. Another gasp from the audience pulled him out of his trance and back to the stadium, and his attention was immediately drawn back to James and the dragon again.

* * *

Up in the air, dangling from James's hand were three intact dungbombs.

'I might not be able to hurt you, but I can distract you,' James gritted his teeth. 'And I need to score a goal by getting past you.'

Inhaling deeply, he swept from behind the rock. 'Look here!' A dungbomb aiming directly at the ball-sized, yellow eyes of the Horntail whirled from the experienced Chaser's hands.

'ROARRRRRRRRRR!' Angered and perhaps humiliated, the Hungarian Horntail reared up and roared, its thundering cry echoed in the stadium, piercing people's eardrum and shattering their entire hearing system. Lava, instead of flames, was beginning to spill from the furious dragon's mouth.

'And here comes another bomb!' James yelled hysterically, directing his second dungbomb towards the dragon. Blinded momentarily by the first bomb, it shook its giant head violently, no longer able to detect James by vision. Just as lava was starting to spill and fire erupting, the second dungbomb landed on the dragon's snake-like tongue and exploded, splashing a great ton of stinking, rotting organic matter all over and down its throat.

It choked; lava died down its throat and foul-smelling saliva came rushing out and extinguishing the flames around. James heard the crowd erupt and Bagman yell, and a flash of red hair in his periphery vision caught his eye ( _that could be Ron, steady on_ , James reminded himself), but right now he forced all his attention on the dragon, which was completely riled up and ready to kill. Its wings flapped threateningly, its body floating slowly upwards, its feet leaving the floor and the egg–

'Now!' James hurled his last dungbomb behind his back. Fizzling and crackling, the dungbomb emitted brown steam on its way, drawing an acrid brown arc in the air. Before it dissipated, the dragon flapped its wings and sprang into motion, hurtling after the brown trail, its claws scratching madly in the air.

Without another moment of hesitation, James plunged. A spurt of speed catapulted him forward as he flew as close to the floor and the now unprotected egg as he could – and there he was, soaring out over the stands, the heavy golden egg perched safely on his right arm –

'He did it! He got the egg!' Bagman yelled enthusiastically. 'At nine minutes fifty-seven seconds! The fastest out of the four! A big, big round of applause for our youngest champion!'

James smiled his Quidditch-star smile and did a flip midair, which earned him another round of hurray from the crowd. He could see Remus looking up and beaming at him, behind him a sulky-looking Peter waved tentatively, and eventually broke into a smile. Lily rolled her eyes, then, instead of a grimace, she gave him a thumbs up, which sent butterflies in James's stomach and made him fall hard on the floor (again). Among the thick cheering crowd, Professor Moody limped forward and patted him on the back.

'Good job, laddie, now come over and let Madame Pomfrey mop you up.' Then he pulled James away from the stadium and led him towards the castle.

 **A/N: This is more like notes for myself.**

 **1) Yikes. Action is my ultimate weakness especially when I can't even do it well in my first language. I hope this comes across okay. Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**

 **2) I can't believe I spent the last few hours of my childhood writing. And yes, I am turning 18 tomorrow (24/6).**

 **3) The loss of Costa Rica to Brazil has put me in a very bad mood.**

 **4) If Argentina got eliminated I would jump off the building.**


	11. Life is a Joke

Still absorbed in bits and flashes of the First Task, James rambled on all the way to the castle. Professor Moody nodded and barked a laugh from time to time, and James was amazed to see though limping, Moody was still very fast that James had to rush to keep up with him.

'…The Horntail finally decided that it's time to leave the egg and I was like "bingo!" so I – hey Professor!' James halted, pointing at the other way of the corridor, 'Hospital Wing's that way, not this way!'

'Come, Potter, we're going this way first,' Moody tilted his chin towards the end of the corridor he was heading, where a few classrooms, now empty, stood quietly in the slanting evening sunlight.

'…But Professor? My arm –'

'Surely your arm can wait, Potter,' Moody growled, 'but your son can't. Are you planning to do the Second Task for him as well?'

James felt his blood run cold. _So Moody knew all along. If he knew, Dumbledore must know, so must Crouch and the rest of the judging panel. And Harry –how's Harry?_ It had not occurred to James before, but now it struck him like a strong wave, buffeting him into the sea of frustration and fear. How was he going to explain to Madam Pomfrey that Harry had his leg bones removed when the whole world saw Harry Potter up and alive fighting and defeating a Hungarian Horntail?

As if seeing through him, Moody said, 'Dumbledore might have suspected, but he can't prove anything, not when he didn't know what happened in the tent.' He rounded a corner and they arrived at a row of more obscure classrooms that James suspected no normal student would come. He however, knew it by heart; years of pranking and hiding from Filch taught him well about every single square feet of the castle.

Moody limped towards the very last classroom on the corridor. 'But I have the eye, and I saw everything in the tent,' he paused, pushing the door of the classroom open, 'and now I'm going to help you.'

James blinked in the darkness that enveloped the room. Dust danced in the air, chairs and desks jutted out from the supposedly neat rows, and curtains were drawn shut. Suddenly, a head appeared out of nowhere, hovering a few feet up a large platform made by several tables put together as a familiar voice shouted, 'James! Thank Merlin you're alive!'

'Sirius!' James sprinted to the tables, arms outstretched and pulling his friend in an embrace. 'You bastard! How dare you! I'll kill you –'

'Do that later, Potter,' Moody barked, 'now we have more important business to attend to.' He limped to the platform, pulling off the invisibility cloak off Sirius, and revealing a lying Harry with his rubbery legs piled neatly underneath him like a mattress.

'Er, I thought he'd be … more comfortable this way,' Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. 'You know, sleeping on something soft rather than hard wooden desk.'

James and Harry glared. Then James remembered that he had a hand in it as well, so he coughed and looked away.

'Now,' Moody announced from behind, before him two goblets sat on the desk, dark, mud-like substance bubbling slowly inside. 'Black, pluck a hair from him,' he indicated Harry, then turned to James, 'and one from you as well.'

'Polyjuice potion,' breathed James as the hairs were added separately to the two goblets. The one with Harry's hair turned a brilliant shade of gold, while the other with James's hair turned red-gold with glitters.

The two goblets were handed to the Potters. 'The potion will transform you into one another, but your injuries will remain,' Moody looked sideways to James's arm and Harry's legs. 'Both of you shall go to Pomfrey. Harry, just say that you broke into a fight or something.' He took out a bottle and thrusted it into Harry's hand, 'you should have enough Polyjuice potion here for one night. Have a sip every hour and go back to your dorm as soon as you can tomorrow.

'About the First Task, no one in this room shall breathe a word of the truth to anyone outside this room – especially the judging panel,' said Moody with a grunt. 'I helped you because you were at an inherent disadvantage, thanks to whoever that put you into the Tournament, and I don't like seeing my students fail. Now go,' he waved impatiently. Before shutting them out and closing the door in their faces, he added gruffly, 'By the way, check the spells carefully next time you come across a random spell book, especially when you nick it from Weasley's bag.'

* * *

'And here someone calls himself the Charms Prince,' said Lily scathingly, sitting beside the fireplace, 'when he couldn't even distinguish between a Repelling Charm and a Bone-vanishing Charm.'

'It's not our fault, not entirely,' James raised his hands, now mopped up and uninjured, in surrender. 'Blame the spell book. We did everything it says.'

'I thought I made it clear that books piled up on the floor meant that they were not to be used,' Lily's foot tapped the floor impatiently.

'We didn't want to give up so easily,' Sirius countered, 'plus I thought something from Ron's bag must be useful in some ways.'

'What?' Ron gasped, looking up from his Transfiguration essay. 'What did you do?'

'Nicked your book, Weasley,' said Sirius glumly. 'Soz.'

'Did you by chance take this one?' Squatting down next to the mountain pile of books, Hermione waved with an orange book in her hand. 'It's The Fast Track to Become a Charms Master, published by Ickle Twickle Wrickle Ronald.'

'What?' said Ron again, blood all gone from his face.

Hermione took the book and put it on the table so that everyone could see. 'Here,'

Brackium Emendo _is the incantation for the Repelling Charm, a highly useful spell when the user is faced with unpleasant objects, or even organisms*._

Then at the bottom of the page, nearly overlapping with the black lines of the text box, an extremely small and inverted sentence read:

 _*such as annoying brothers who won't stop pestering you._

'Yes, this is the book,' said Sirius sourly. 'Nice one.'

'Look at that!' Suppressing a giggle, Lily pointed at another line.

 _To calm a crying baby, a quick way to go is_ Avis _, which allows the user to conjure melodious lullabies and classical music from the tip of his wand._

'I think we've come across this one,' said Remus slowly, looking at Sirius. 'That one time when Severus hexed you…'

'A loud blast fired and mad birds came pecking holes in me,' Sirius bared his teeth. 'And please don't call him Severus. I'm going to puke.'

Ron stood up abruptly, his red hair flaming eerily against his bloodless cheeks. 'Holy crap… I used that to revise for the Charms test yesterday…!'

'Well… you should be glad it wasn't a practical test...' said Hermione weakly. She paused and continued with a firmer tone, 'and if you didn't sulk and spoke to me and Harry instead, you would've noticed earlier –'

'I would've bloody well known the second I cast my first spell if it was a practical yesterday and not blundered all the way till the last question babbling nonsense!' Ron banged his head on the table, shouting with a tight voice like he was being strangled.

'There's always another test, Ron,' said Lily, trying to sound soothing. 'Now, would you like to visit Harry with us?'

'Yea, I guess,' sobbed Ron, wiping off snot and tears on his face.

Lily led the group to the Hospital Wing. Though being fourteen, knowing that Harry was her future son had evoked some sort of kinship, a special bond between her and him. Moreover, she was worried about Harry's injuries (God knows what James and Sirius had done). When James and Sirius returned and detailed their adventure, their overly graphic account had resulted in Lily burning to see the smaller Potter.

'Hello – oh,' she stared down at Harry, who looked up and grinned, his hazel eyes glistening. 'Now you look like this.'

Harry's grin on James's face became wider. 'Yea, wicked, isn't it? Feeling all at once like myself and not myself.' He sniffed, wrinkling his nose. 'My nose's shorter, but the hair feels the same,' he said thoughtfully as he ruffled his hair.

'I'm a little bit disturbed,' Lily mumbled. 'At least I can see some of me in you when you're Harry. Stop snickering, Potter, I can hear you,' she glanced sideways where James under the invisibility cloak stood. Before tomorrow, no one could see him when James Potter was supposedly in the Hospital Wing due to a fight with some mysterious Slytherin.

Madam Pomfrey, who was holding a tray with glasses of water, came to Harry's bed and shook her head. 'It's just like yesterday, having the whole lot of you here,' she said lovingly. 'Why! There's no Mr Snape to hex you anymore.'

'That's the only good thing about him being Professor,' Sirius smirked. 'He can dork points all he likes, but he can't hex us back.'

The sun started to sink into the horizon, the sky began to turn from clear blue to red then finally to dark purple, but the teenagers talked and talked; no one was aware of how fast time had passed. Not the rule abider Hermione, not the model student Lily, and certainly not the Marauders. They were only willing to go back when Madam Pomfrey practically dragged them out and threatened to turn them in to McGonagall for violating the curfew.

Tuning out James and Sirius's banter, Remus and Peter's giggling and Ron and Hermione's discussion on how to deal with the potential Howler from Mrs Weasley, Lily sauntered behind the group. It had been a while since she was with her _normal_ friends, and she had long given up on trying to make sense of the Marauders' behaviour; as surreal as it might sound, she found herself slowly unwinding around the infamous troublemakers, her spirit becoming freer, her soul lighter …

Unfortunately, her standard for normalcy was not the only thing relaxing at this moment, so was her bladder. _Oh no,_ Lily groaned inwardly. The nearest bathroom was in the corridor beside the Hospital Wing, which meant that she, a model student, would risk bumping into school authorities after the curfew by going back to the Hospital Wing. Taking a deep breath, she put on a passive, emotionless mask, but her inner state was in turmoil.

 _Lily Evans never breaks the curfew. Especially in front of the Marauders. Lily Evans must hold in her wee, Lily Evans never loses her grace –_

'I need to –' but the desire to relieve the pressure in her bladder had taken control of her brain. '-Um, I mean, Potter, can I have your cloak for a while? I forgot something.'

James turned and smirked.

Fighting the urge to punch him on the nose, she held out her hand. 'Please.'

James's smirk grew into a grin. Keeping her nonchalance in place, Lily snatched the cloak and pelt down the corridor just as James called from the back, 'the ladies toilet's the other way, Evans.'

Mustering as much dignity she could, she pulled over the cloak, covering herself tightly with invisibility and escaping from the Marauders' vision. Silently she made a detour to the opposite way and tiptoed into the toilet.

Everything went back from hell to heaven when she finished. Successfully dodging Mrs Norris and wandering right in front of Filch without blinking an eye, Lily made her way towards the seventh floor.

'Well, it feels really good having this on,' Lily tucked at the silky cloak. 'No wonder Black and Potter love hiding under it so much.' She even danced a step or two in elation when she suddenly heard someone crying out loud.

'He's here for all of us– the snake – Frank Bryce –'

The corridor was dim, only a few torches were still lit to provide light for late night wanderers. Squinting, Lily realised she was just outside the Hospital Wing, and the cry, pregnant with fear and pain, came right from inside. Through the door, she could see a black shadow writhing and twisting on the white soft mattress. Twinkling stars peeked through the window, but even they couldn't do anything to soothe the writhing body but stare.

Abruptly, the dark shadow sat up and a painful gasp escaped from it. The cry stopped, and everything went still again.

'Harry?'

There was no mistake in the messy, almost spiky hair. The trembling boy looked up. Though still under the effect of the Polyjuice potion, Lily had no difficulty distinguishing Harry from the real James Potter. Instead of exuding pride and somehow an air of royalty, James's face on Harry was softer, less edgy, and more vulnerable.

'Lily!' exclaimed Harry in surprise. 'I… I had a bad dream, that's all …'

Lily pulled off the invisibility cloak. 'If I could hear you scream in the corridor, it must be a really bad dream.'

'What did I say?' asked Harry sharply, his hand pressed against his forehead. 'I mean, Ron told me I sounded like squeaking pigs once. It's embarrassing.'

'Ron's not exaggerating,' Lily gave an honest response. 'You said something about a Frank guy and a snake. You're quite creative when it comes to dreaming, aren't you?'

Harry rubbed his forehead and gave her a weak smile. Sweat was all over his face.

'Sorry, I shouldn't have made a joke about it,' Lily scolded herself for her tactlessness. 'If… if it makes you feel better, perhaps we can talk about it? If you want to?'

'It's nothing,' Harry shrugged.

There was a pause after it, and neither Lily nor Harry spoke. This was a moment in need of mutual understanding, a chance to cement the newfound mother-son bond. The slight hesitation in Harry's voice told Lily that this was not the only reason, but she did not intend to press it. She simply let silence filled up the gap.

At last, Harry asked quietly, 'do you believe me?'

'Everyone has something to keep to themselves, and they have every right to do so,' replied Lily.

'But you knew we were holding something back. You just never say anything in front of others.'

'We?' Lily avoided Harry's penetrating gaze.

'Ron, Hermione and I. Not just tonight, but other times.'

'Well, I noticed you never mention us,' Lily bit her bottom lip, returning the gaze with the same almond-shaped green eyes. 'You talk about Mrs Weasley, you talk about Hogwarts, but you never tell us about yourself. Or James and I.'

Harry looked away. 'Remus says you're not exactly on friendly terms with him. I don't want to make you uncomfortable.'

'To be honest, he looks like an arrogant berk to me,' Lily admitted frankly, 'but I guess today's event changes my views about him a bit.'

'He was a hero, and so were you,' said Harry dreamily. 'I want to grow up a hero like you two.'

' _Was_?' Lily's voice thickened. Realising his slip of words, Harry tensed visibly, his hands waving wildly, but not a word came out from his trembling lips.

Lily blinked. It was surreal; she felt light and heavy, empty and stuffed all at once. She felt that she had to cry, but strangely, not a single tear stained her cheeks. Not that the news was totally unexpected; actually as soon as she overcame the initial shock of being in the future, she had imagined a million possibilities of what they could have become in this unfamiliar dimension. It wasn't that death hadn't crossed her mind, but of all the things she envisioned she did not dig deep into this particular option.

'No, there's no need to explain,' Lily heard herself say as she waved a hand airily, 'the world works its own ways, just like how Fate will ultimately bond Potter with me.' She almost chuckled at this ridiculousness of this statement, but who said the world wasn't ridiculous to begin with?

'I… I…' Harry buried his face in his palms. 'Lily…'

'Look, it _is_ ridiculous. I don't even understand how of all people I'll end up with _him_ ,' laughed Lily heartily, her voice rang like silver bells in the quiet Wing. 'James Potter, the bully, the prankster, the troublemaker, the stalker, is my future husband! You wouldn't have believed it yourself if you were me!' She laughed so hard that her stomach hurt, and her head buzzed.

'A bully? No!' The trembling Harry a minute ago was gone, now replaced by a Harry as hard as steel and as unbeatable as James Potter the hero. 'He died saving you and me! And you died saving me, sacrificing yourself to Voldermort in exchange for my life!'

Lily doubled over and fell off the chair, but still her mouth wouldn't shut to stop the hysterical laughter. 'It's even more comical then,' she clutched the fence of Harry's bed, trying to help herself up, but to little avail as she kept tumbling down with giggles and chokes. 'He and I, enemies in school, both trying to act heroic knowing we wouldn't stand a chance and leaving you alone. Finally, something in common!'

She managed to stand; she stood so straight that her spine cracked, but she didn't have time for that. Still giggling, she ruffled the confused Harry's hair and gave him a tight embrace. She waved cheerfully before turning on her heels. 'It's getting late. See you tomorrow!'

As she stumbled away from the Hospital Wing, laughter erupted along the corridor all the way to the seventh floor where the makeshift dormitory was. Perhaps Mrs Norris bumped into her and meowed alarmingly loud, perhaps Peeves floated over her and called her a 'crybaby', Lily couldn't remember. All she knew was that amidst chokes, giggles and sniffs, tears misted her eyes, pouring down like rain from the stormy sky.

 **A/N: Not sure if this is an appropriate response, but let's face it none of us has ever been told about our deaths in the future. Well, at least this is a bit like how I felt after Argentina got eliminated tonight.**


	12. Only Now

'What do you say we play The Floor is Lava?' James's booming voice cracked the early Saturday morning open. Even though there was a concrete wall between Lily's room and their Common Room, the loud cheers from the rest of the Marauders had no problem rousing the still sleeping redhead.

Lily was not usually a late riser, but this day was no normal day. Her pillow was damp, half of her blanket was on the floor, and herself was a total mess.

'Ouch! You cunning wolf! You pushed me!'

A loud scream accompanied by a BANG at the door made Lily wince.

'Black! You fell on her door! She'll think it was me and my good reputation will be gone!'

'You have no good reputation to start with,' Lily mumbled and pushed the door open. 'Mornin'.'

Silence met her. A little stunned, she looked up to find four pairs of eyes staring incredulously at her. Sirius, who lay on his back just a step in front of her, nearly blocking the whole door had his mouth wide open; Remus crouched awkwardly on a table nearby, the corner of his mouth twitching, trying to bend a sneer into a greeting smile; Peter and James were both on the couch as James's managed to ruffled his hair and pulled his skewed glasses just in time.

' _Good_ morning, Lily. Did you have a good sleep?' James bowed, but his secret nudge in Peter's ribs did not escape Lily's eyes.

Peter recovered from his open staring immediately. He ran away and returned with a glass of water and a banana on a small tray.

'Um…thanks?' Lily said dubiously, uncomfortable in this sudden warm treatment.

'My mum says water and banana can help lubricate your guts,' said Peter learnedly. 'Did you feel better after last night? You were away for quite a while.'

'What…' Then the cogs in Lily's brain fit and started driving the gears at top speed, and she realised suddenly what the Marauders had thought happened to her. _Stupid prats._ 'Oh – that's none of your business. I mean, thanks, but my guts are _perfectly fine_. Better than ever, actually.' With that she rushed off, her face flushing in shame, embarrassment, and – (she shuddered at the thought) – could it be possible, joy?

* * *

Lily sought peace and quiet in the library for the whole weekend. It wasn't that she wanted to avoid anyone, but she needed time alone to calm down and digest the shocking truth Harry had revealed. After all, she was a Muggle girl, who hadn't known about magic and wizards and _Voldemort_ four years ago, and the only deaths she had known were car crashes and suicide. Dying of defying the strongest dark wizard was absurd, or _comical_ , in her own words.

 _But was he defeated?_ Lily shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Pieces of puzzles began to come together. _Of course, Harry is 'Saviour of the World' and The Boy Who Lived. The boy who survived Voldemort's attack, who was then defenceless and impossible to fight back. No one would've said that if Voldemort wasn't defeated._

But what Dumbledore had said when she first arrived here made her think twice. _He said dark activities were still rampant as ever. Surely that's not just a threat to stop the idiots upstairs from running around?_ She glanced sideways at the tall, dusty bookshelves. _Well, here's the right place to find out more._

To her dismay, there wasn't a single piece of material on how Harry fought Voldemort single- handedly, not at least in books that Lily had flicked through. Impatient and moody to start with, she finally succumbed and slumped against the bookshelf, her lap buried ungracefully under the pile of big, leather-jacketed books she took. She was too lethargic to put them up one by one in the original order already.

'Are you alright?' a dreamy voice sounded above Lily. 'You look like you got pulled down into sand by flesh-eating earthworms.'

'I'm sorry?' Bleary -eyed, Lily poked out her head from the mountain of books. A girl wearing a Ravenclaw scarf strewn with Butterbeer corks and buttons stood in front of Lily, her dirty-blond hair fell around her waist and her protuberant silver eyes wandered down the books unfocusedly, giving her a permanently surprised look.

'Do you camp here at night too?' asked the blond girl, her voice light with a lilt.

'Camp… here? In the library?' Lily wasn't sure what to make of it. In fact, she hadn't the faintest single idea what the girl was up to.

Humming a tune, the girl moved a few books and sat down beside Lily. 'My father says camping in the library is the best defence against banshees because the smell of books suffocates them, but I haven't actually tried it out myself.'

'I see,' said Lily politely. She waited for the girl to say more, but the girl simply shifted into a comfortable position and started reading.

'Um… what are you reading?' Not wanting to appear rude, and more importantly, not wanting to be seen poring over books about Voldemort and famous dark attacks, Lily looked over to the girl's lap. A picture of a giant bee with antlers caught her eye immediately, next to which text boxes with arrows indicated different parts and structures of the creature.

' _The Quibbler,'_ said the girl cheerfully. She took out a tabloid titled THE QUIBBLER in gaudy colours from her bag. 'Would you like a copy? My father is the editor. This month we're featuring Beers, a new hybrid between bees and deer.'

'That's very nice of you, thank you … Miss Lovegood?' Lily beamed as she read the line just below the title: _Brought to you by Xenophilius Lovegood_. She had already decided that she would use it for her Herbology project later– her Sleepyberries still needed a final nap before the berries ripened fully.

'You're welcome. Oh, and you can call me Luna,' the girl – Luna Lovegood – seemed extremely pleased. 'Dad is on a quest for the Beers. No one's really seen them and people simply believe there's no such creature,' she shrugged, as though she failed to see why people would have such a ridiculous idea.

'So… you get to read every issue when it's published?' asked Lily tentatively, her breath suddenly quickened. 'Do you … say, do you know anything about, erm, dark activities? And Harry Potter?'

'Last year we published an article on The Dark-Earlobe Effect on teenage wizards in the Health section,' Luna tied her hair into a bun and stuck her wand in it. 'Harry Potter happened to be one of our potential interviewees.'

Right now having established that maybe Luna Lovegood was not entirely sane, Lily was sure that even if she told Luna her true identity, she would buy it without a second thought. 'That's very interesting,' nodded Lily eagerly. 'Do you know anything else about him? He's The Boy Who Lived. I hear his parents passed away when he was a child.'

'We are all The Boy or Girl Who Lived,' said Luna dreamily, her eyes still fixed on the Beer in the tabloid. 'Or you can wriggle through seams in Time like Needleflies, then in that case you live forever.'

'But even Needle…Needleflies can't do it forever,' Lily tried to shrug as casually as she could. 'One day they'll die, and they won't be able to, um, wriggle anymore.'

'Of course they live forever. They feed on our memories and live in them,' said Luna reasonably. 'Sometimes I dream about being a Needlefly and going back to the past,' she toyed with a lock of hair, her attention still glued to her father's tabloid. 'My mum's always there cooking dinner for me.'

'Why not the future? You could see what you have become … and perhaps… change the past…?' Lily was no longer sure whom she was addressing.

Luna smiled faintly, her protuberant eyes almost transparent like a pond of silver. 'Does it matter? The Needlefly is only me and I live in the present. '

* * *

For some reason, Lily felt lighter for the rest of the weekend. No longer as moody and as depressed as she was, she even joked a few times or two with her fellow time travellers.

'Didn't know you had it in you,' Sirius commented thoughtfully. 'Who knew Evans could crack a joke when all she talks about are discipline and rules?'

'I don't usually joke when I'm around idiots,' Lily stood up and rolled up her Transfiguration essay neatly. 'Remus, stay where you are, I think I need to ask Madam Pomfrey for some more Pepper-up Potion for you,' she glanced sideways at him, who had just gone through another round of transformation the night before and caught a cold sleeping in the icy November wind.

When she returned from the Hospital Wing, her hands grabbing a few bottles of potion with some difficulty, she ran into Harry for the first time since that night they talked. While she greeted him cheerily, the bespectacled boy looked startled to see her.

'About that night –' he started cautiously. 'I am sorry –'

'Look, it's okay,' Lily managed to free a hand to pat him on the shoulder. 'It's just… it came as a huge shock. I wasn't prepared for it.'

Harry ducked his head, avoiding Lily's concerned gaze. 'I didn't mean to shock you like that… you shouldn't had known about it…'

'No,' Lily agreed, keeping her pace steady next to him. 'And I don't intend to find out more. I wouldn't have known if Black hadn't sent us here anyway. But since I am here, I don't plan to spend all my time feeling sorry for myself. Or anyone.'

Seeing Harry's confused frown, she smiled. 'Let's put it this way, I'm glad I got to spend an extra year with you, and to know you as a teenager in a way that no ordinary mother could have. I cherish what I have now and only now _._ '

Harry ruffled his hair thoughtfully. 'Well … I suppose …'

But before he could say more, a sweet voice drew his attention from Lily immediately.

'Hiya Harry.'

A very pretty girl with long, straight black hair beamed at Harry and Lily. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Harry ruffle his hair to an even messier state as a faint shade of pink started to creep up his cheeks.

'H-hi, Cho,' Harry stuttered. Straightening himself, he coughed. 'Hm, Cho, this is Li – I mean Evans, and Evans, Cho.' As an afterthought, he added, 'erm… you look good today.'

Lily snickered. _If you've got one tenth of your dad's flirting skills, you wouldn't just be saying_ _'you look good today' already._

'Oh, I nearly forgot I needed to see McGonagall,' she patted Harry on the back, pushing him forward just a little, 'I'll see you around then.' With that she giggled and hurried down the corridor, leaving a flustered Harry with Cho alone.


	13. Operation Cho

Werewolves healed fast, but werewolves with a cold didn't. In fact werewolf mechanisms seemed to be specially designed for a cold after a transformation – the werewolf concerned would be pulled into a deep slumber which allowed cells and tissues to metabolise back to their original state at a quicker rate.

With the Wolfsbane Potion, Remus suffered a minimal amount of injuries; but because of his cold, he was only clear-minded enough to have class two days after the transformation. So naturally, he got Gryffindor a deduction of 20 house points for late submission of work from Snape and five essays waiting for him to be completed.

Overloaded with spells and calculations, Remus decided that his brain could function no more after a full day of class and an evening of revision in the library. He schlepped himself back to the Common Room just in time to see Sirius studying a piece of parchment.

'What's that you've got over there?' asked Remus as he unloaded his books onto the couch. It was rare to see the hyperactive boy to be poring over anything at all unless it was some elaborate plan for a prank which Remus suspected was exactly the case.

'Background studies,' Sirius waved the parchment. The crooked smile on his face told Remus that the truth was way more complicated than that.

'Of whom?' asked Remus dubiously. Just as he edged towards the black-haired boy out of curiosity, James and Peter burst in with an armful of pasties and muffins.

'Welcome back, Professor Lupin!' James hopped across the room to where Remus and Sirius were. 'Want some refreshment?'

Remus did not need further encouragement to devour a chocolate muffin. Peter, whose mouth was stuffed with apple crumble and cheesecake, managed to gulp down the content in a second and sat down just next to Sirius. 'So how is it going?'

James hovered over Peter's head excitedly. 'Think we've got enough information?'

'What is going on?' Remus tugged at Sirius's arm impatiently.

'Austin, Bulstrode, Abbott, Chang, Paulson and Delacour,' Sirius said matter-of-factly. 'Choose one, Moony.'

'Why?' asked Remus suspiciously.

'The Yule Ball,' said Lily, striding into the room with her robes flying behind her. She quirked an eyebrow as her gaze landed on the parchment. 'Honestly, _Millicent Bulstrode_?'

'Peter's idea,' James spread out his hands. 'We need to have a date for the ball so we listed out a number of candidates.'

'Cho,' replied Remus calmly after a second of deliberation.

'Why?' Sirius's expression was almost murderous.

'Well if you were expecting me to say Bulstrode, I wasn't,' snapped Remus.

'Actually, Remus,' Lily shot Remus an apologetic glance, 'what they haven't told you is that they made this list for Harry. Cho's alright 'cause I nominated her. Black's just messing with you.' She slid down the arm of the couch and placed a friendly arm over Remus's shoulder. 'Good, we're allies now,' she turned to James and smiled triumphantly. 'So that's two votes on Cho, Potter.'

'I fail to understand why you didn't vote Delacour,' said James indignantly. 'Our son deserves the world.'

'First, Harry likes Cho, that's the most important reason,' replied Lily with a flick of her hair. 'Second, I'd like to see how Harry is going to drive away the long queue of suitors after Delacour. Or you could do it for him again, if you like.'

Peter raised his hand like he was in class. 'What about Bulst –'

'Forget about her, her existence alone makes me suffocate,' Sirius cut him off irritably. 'Fine, Cho then. What are we going to do?'

'I thought you planned it all, Prince Charming,' James's fingers drummed the table lightly. 'But since you asked, I think we need to create some chanced encounter between Harry and Cho. We need to hold her up for as long as we can and let Harry walk past her.'

'Is it why I always run into you four lurking in the corridor?' Lily folded her arms in an annoyed manner. 'If that's so I can tell you it _never_ works.'

'Maybe it works on Harry,' said James, not a flicker of irritation passed over his face. 'From what I can tell he isn't that sort of forward guy. He never talks to anyone besides the Granger girl.'

Peter scratched his head confusedly. 'Malfoy talks to him quite often, do you think we should include him as well?'

'Well according to your logic we might as well include Ron, Longbottom, Snivellus, Filch, McGonagall and more,' snapped Sirius.

'Don't be a dick, Sirius, Peter only means well,' James patted both Sirius and Peter on the shoulder. 'But as I was saying, a chance is what Harry needs. So we need to wait for Cho, talk to her and make sure Harry passes along the way. That could be your job, Evans, since you were with him last time as well.'

'Remind me why I agreed to be involved in this stupidity,' Lily mumbled.

'Right, so Evans will be leading Harry, but make sure you don't say anything. We don't want a jittery fanboy,' James continued confidently, putting down _Evans – leading Harry_ on the parchment. 'As for us, of course we stick together. We'll be chatting Cho up –' he raised both him arms in surrender as Lily shot a pointed glare at him – 'chatting with Cho, I mean – like ask her about homework, O.W.L.s and holiday that sort of rubbish. Keep her cheerful and don't leave her the impression that we're competing with Harry.'

'Do you know her timetable, hobbies and stuff?' Remus ran through the process once and pointed out the loopholes, as usual.

'She's the Ravenclaw Seeker, fan of Tutshill Tornados, best friend of Marietta Edgecombe,' Sirius read out loudly from his parchment. 'Good, isn't Tutshill Tornados your favourite team, Jamesie?'

'Right, I'll get her started on Tutshill,' James thumped on the table triumphantly. 'Sirius took care of her timetable already – she's what, having Ancient Runes on Wednesday afternoon? We have a free. We'll just ambush her outside the classroom.'

Remus wanted to ask how Sirius found out the timetable of a girl they barely knew, but decided he didn't really want to know. They continued to discuss and modify their plan, and they finally settled that Operation Cho was to be carried out at exactly four o'clock on Wednesday afternoon.

* * *

'There she is,' whispered Peter. 'Everyone ready?'

'When are we not?' James laughed and walked out from behind the large pillar first. He strode confidently towards Cho, who was talking animatedly to a frizzy-haired girl.

'Hello, are you Cho?' James said loudly. Cho turned, a look of faint surprise on her face. 'Yes, and you are…'

'Harry's cousin. Surely you know him from Quidditch?'

'Of course, he's a brilliant flyer,' she smiled, and Remus had to agree that Harry had good taste liking her. 'Oh! You two do look alike! I shouldn't even have asked.'

'I'm Black, pleased to meet you,' said Sirius, extending a hand elegantly.

'And you,' said Cho. Remus could tell that she found this a bit funny.

'Harry told me you like Tutshill Tornados,' James did not hesitate to seize the opportunity. 'You know what? I like it as well.'

'Oh, that's great,' said Cho undecidedly.

Remus started to regret not listening to Lily's warning that letting James did the talking never worked. Sirius seemed to have sensed her confusion as well, so he shoved James out of the way and spoke up. 'We came to ask you about O.W.L.s, actually. You know, we're in fourth year and we don't quite know what we need to do…' He spread out his palms, exerting the power of his puppy dog eyes on her, ignoring James's glare.

'Oh, I knew this feeling,' Cho brightened up instantly. 'I was the same. I was so, so confused about the future that I didn't really know if I made the right choice doing the subjects I chose. So I went to the library …' she pointed at the end of the corridor to indicate the library, and her eyes widened at seeing Remus.

'Hiya, John! I didn't know you were here!' She beamed, moving closer to Remus who had been slouching behind Sirius and James. 'You're so quiet all the time, I didn't even see you...'

'John?!' Sirius's head snapped up at the speed of a lightning bolt.

'Cho and I, er, met a few times in the library,' Remus squirmed under the accusing gaze of his friends.

'Yes, at the Muggle session,' said Cho. 'World Literature. Have you finished The Little Prince, John?'

'HARRY! HERE!' Sirius suddenly yelled so loudly that Remus's response was drowned in it. Cho's attention was instantly driven to the approaching Harry and Lily. Harry had his mouth hanging open, while Lily had her hand on his back and seemed to be steering him forward to where they were.

'Good afternoon,' Lily greeted. 'Harry and I were just talking about Quidditch at Hogwarts. He said you were an amazing Seeker.'

The pleasantries went on, but Harry didn't say anything remotely about the Yule Ball. In fact he didn't say anything at all but stood there scratching his head and grinning and didn't seem to have made up his mind about what to do next.

At last, Sirius ventured. 'Why don't we have a little Quidditch match of our own? You and Harry can have a Seekers face-off. And _John_ ,' he turned a full ninety degrees, facing Remus, 'will take up the position of Keeper, will you?'

'The Quidditch pitch will be closed till the end of year,' said Cho a bit impatiently as she quoted Dumbledore. 'As we were saying, John,' her impatience faded away so soon that Remus wasn't sure if his friends detected it at all. 'I'm quite sure the book says Devil Snares are sensitive to light, not water.'

'Light is probably a better method,' said Remus, resuming their previous conversation. It was not surprising that advancement in magic had resulted in the Marauders' knowledge being outdated. 'But in the past people did use water –'

'Harry, who are you going with to the Yule Ball?' asked Sirius loudly at Remus's back. 'As one of the champions I'm sure you'll be bringing some charming bird.'

'I think no one says "bird" anymore,' Remus saw Lily nudged Sirius in the ribs in the periphery of his vision. 'I haven't heard a single person say that since we came.'

Sirius stamped his feet irritably, raising his voice. 'Harry, will you ask anyone to the Ball?'

But he soon realised that Harry's answer didn't matter anymore.

'…Perhaps we can go to the library?' Cho's voice became muffled as she and Remus had walked a few steps away already. 'My O.W.L.s are around the corner and I really need to have a few reference book to back me up…'

* * *

It was needless to say that Operation Cho failed miserably. Or at least, according to Remus, it had gone into a direction it shouldn't have gone and it had plummeted straight down since. Remus had never been the frontline pranker – sure, he improved the Marauder's pranks based on his friends' outline, he worked on the flaws, but he was never the one to actively bring forth the pranks (not to observant people, though; he could actually be a secretively vindictive prat sometimes if he wanted to). Peter was usually the sneaky one, responsible for checking if the coast was clear; James and Sirius, of course, had always executed their missions perfectly. But when it came to Remus acting alone, he was not sure if he had achieved one tenth of the desired effect most of the time.

'Remus!'

Remus tried not to wince at his friends' inhumanely loud call when he tried to sneak in without anyone noticing.

'What took you so long?' asked James curiously. 'If only we knew she was so interested in you…'

'Sorry,' Remus bit his lower lip.

'Nah, it's fine,' James waved. 'There's still half a month –'

'You were supposed to get Harry an opportunity, not snatch it right under his nose,' Sirius snapped. The crumpled parchments on the table made it obvious that he had been moody for a while.

'You must've known what to do then, since you're so clever,' said Remus in retaliation, any trace of guilt and self-blame disappearing at once. 'In fact you must be an expert on how to deflect unwanted attention when half the school is crazy about getting your eyes on them,' he added a little bit more venomously than he intended to.

'Oh shove off, Lupin,' Sirius snarled.

'What's got into you?' James frowned at Sirius, who had huffily pulled up his legs onto the chair and rested his chin on his knees. 'Mishaps happen all the time. There's always another chance.'

'Yea right, you're always the optimist. Just look at you and Evans.'

Ignoring Sirius, James tossed a chocolate bar to Remus, who caught it with dexterity. 'So what did you two talk about?'

'The Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo and a bit of Defence,' Remus told him honestly. 'She asked about my "uncle", who of course is the older me, and how the moon had been that sort of thing.'

'I thought we agreed not to disclose our name,' said Sirius, his eyes narrowing dangerously. 'How do you explain that, _John_?'

'Once she asked what my name was,' Remus pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, feeling tired of their pointless argument already. 'Don't you think it'd arouse more attention if I refused to tell her?'

'You should've told us you'd been meeting her before we went, not hid it and pretended it never happened,' said Sirius, who didn't seem to have the slightest intention to drop the subject.

Remus could bear it no more. Anger boiled up in him; it wasn't his fault that their plan didn't work according to the script, after all. 'I'm sorry that for once someone finds me more interesting than you, Sirius,' he said shortly, making his way back to his four-poster bed. 'And I apologise for wounding your ego. After all I'm supposed to be the more inferior one, and I was wrong to draw attention when Sirius the golden boy was just next to me. Anymore more codes on my behaviour the next time it happens?

He climbed in and shut the curtains forcefully.

'And James?' He said huffily behind the curtains. 'We can drop the whole thing already. She's going with Diggory.'


	14. The Yule Ball

As the Yule Ball drew nearer, everyone was becoming increasingly frantic. The hype was in the air; Remus could practically see boys and girls making heart eyes at each other and people constantly whispering during lessons and meal times asking their targets( he decided that crush was not the right word to use because, well, the person you asked didn't have to be your crush) to the ball. Sometimes loud cheers broke out with a bunch of girls oohing and wowing, sometimes it ended with a weep and a few hexes. Anyway, after nearly a month of adaption, Remus was immune to sudden emotional outbursts and life continued the way it had always been.

'No, but thanks for asking,' Remus ducked away from the gaze of a hopeful girl – _a Hufflepuff third-year_ , he made a mental note to think about where he had possibly met her after the emergency of having a piss. He was surprised that someone had actually bothered to ask him, but as usual, he was not going to make himself noticeable among the new Hogwarts crowd.

But life did become more interesting for his friends. His fellow time travellers (the male ones in particular, he noticed) were caught up in the same frenzy as the other students. Sirius, charming as always, had earned himself a reputation among the fairer sex within the mere few months since he came and a fans club for him had since been established. He had been receiving invitations nonstop since the day the Ball was announced, and every night the Gryffindor prefect had to shoo away the mass of girls congregating at the Gryffindor Common Room for normal students, demanding to see the non-existent Black boy, ignoring the prefect's claim that he had no idea where the transfer students lived.

James, on the other hand, was no weaker rival to Sirius. Apart from his resemblance with Harry, the Hogwarts champion, his easy-going, friendly personality had also added to his popularity among the students. At the same time, the frequency of Lily protesting had been increasing at an alarming rate which Remus found worrying.

'Go away, Potter,' said Lily, her nose buried in her Charms notes. 'No matter how many times you ask, the answer is still "no".'

'But we're Harry's parents!'

'He understands perfectly the situation we're in,' said Lily evenly without looking up at James. 'Also, for the sake of protection, I don't think we should get too close with anyone else. Yes, Black, I'm talking about you.'

'Remus told Cho his middle name,' Peter chose to comment at this precise moment. Remus resisted the urge to smack him on the back.

'Well, not any closer. Not outside the Gryffindor crowd of our year,' said Lily.

'What about not outside this room?' asked James hopefully. 'Then we don't have to worry about our safety –' He shut up at Lily jabbing her wand in his direction.

'Actually,' Peter cleared his throat, 'I was going to say that Remus telling Cho his middle name was a clever act. I think it's time we make up fake names, like, can I just stop pretending to joke that I'm Saint Pettigrew? '

Lily stopped reading and studied him for a moment.

'Call me Petunia.' And then her attention returned to her work.

* * *

The few days leading to the Ball were the most chaotic. Classes could no longer continue normally with students' attention wandering to Merlin knows where, even the teachers were buzzing with excitement. Flitwick even made his double a free lesson and simply announced that they would 'rest a bit for the Ball'.

Remus felt himself burning with agitation. It was uncommon that he was like this when the full moon was a good two weeks away, given that he was normally good-natured (towards outsiders, at least). Though he and Sirius had made up a few days after the Cho incident, things did not seem to get better but became increasingly annoying: James's nonstop wooing assaulted his hearing, Sirius's nonchalantly throwing winks at girls but never actually accepting to be their date made him nauseous, even Peter talking to new girls got under his skin.

At the same time, he also found himself paying unnecessary attention to who his friends were going to the ball with. Despite the Marauders' help, Harry and Ron still hadn't managed to find a date. Guiltily, Remus found it relieving because it meant that he was not the only one stuck in the date-less situation, willingly or unwillingly.

'Oi, Jenkins is watching you like she can eat you alive,' James said while cutting his steak into little cubes. Is she The One?'

Sirius smirked. He smoothed his overgrown bangs. 'No idea.'

'I think not,' Peter munched on his share of fish and chips. 'Is it the one with plaits at the side? You were talking in a corner this afternoon. I saw you.'

Remus snorted. They had been having the guessing game since yesterday in which they tried to guess their respective dates. Remus had so far refused to speak on the matter; what was the point when he himself was not taking anyone to the ball anyway?

'Don't look at me, I told you I'm not playing this stupid game,' he said flatly before clearing his plate and left the hall.

* * *

'I'm going stag,' declared Sirius finally in their dormitory while the Marauders prepared themselves for the Yule Ball.

'What! The Hogwarts heartthrob is going stag!' James turned from the mirror, looking genuinely surprised, his hopeless hair sprang up once the comb he was pressing into his hair came to a halt.

Remus was shocked too. He got up from the bed and propped on his elbow (he had long given up getting ready for the ball. Again, what was the point?) and said, 'you're going stag too?'

'Well, two single blokes make a pair,' Sirius grinned.

'Who was that you turned down yesterday, Remus? Bolt from Ravenclaw?' inquired Peter. 'Pity you turned her down … hmm…' his voice trailed off as he turned and examined himself in the mirror.

Remus shrugged. 'She would have anyway if she knew what I really am. So I'd better do it myself.'

Sirius frowned; he opened his mouth but closed it a second later. Peter, who was oblivious to their exchanged, laughed and clapped Remus on the back. He stole a sideway look at James, who were trying his best to spray gel onto his messy hair. 'James, I bet Evans isn't your date tonight?'

James said indignantly, 'a Gryffindor never gives up. Plus, it's not like she won't be there tonight. I still have to look good.'

'Okay, okay, whatever you say. So, my three single friends, are you ready for the Ball?' Peter grinned, straightening his blue robes one last time. Laughing and half-wrestling, they left and went down to the Hall.

The Entrance Hall was packed with students, all milling about and congregating to meet their partners from different houses, waiting for eight o'clock when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Lining in front of the door was the judging panel, followed by teachers and the champions and their partners.

'Without further ado, let the Yule Ball begin!' Dumbledore's voice boomed in the Hall. The door opened, revealing the silvery world within. Snowflakes were falling down form the enchanted ceiling, hundreds of fairies perched on the great chandelier, their glitters magnifying the intensity of candlelight so that it was as bright as daytime. Amidst applause and cheers, the throng of students parted, leaving a narrow way for the teachers and champions to enter the Great Hall.

'Harry!' James shouted excitedly, pointing at the fourth pair in the queue. He didn't seem to hear him though; he was walking slowly behind Cedric and Cho, his right arm dangling loosely in the crook of the arm of a redheaded girl in laced magenta robes, who was peering nervously at the crowd and trying to walk with her back straight. The robes on her resembled the ones ladies wore in the 18th century in Gothic novels. Nonetheless, it accentuated her curves; she was pretty and elegant like a doll which was a perfect match for a Hogwarts champion.

'Poor Weasley, no hand-me-down robes for the only girl,' someone drawled behind the Marauders. Remus had no difficulty recognising it was Malfoy. 'Or is it directly inherited from her dear gran?'

Crabbe and Goyle giggled behind him. Rolling his eyes, Remus tugged at Sirius sleeves and led the Marauders away from Malfoy.

'I think he made the right choice,' said James. 'Better than Cho, better than Delacour. Doesn't he look perfect with a redhead next to him?'

'You're seeing him as the mini you and Evans, that's all,' Peter grabbed a pudding on their way to the middle of the Hall. 'And guys? I told Evelyn I would be waiting for her in front of the stage. See you in a while.'

'What kind of friend are you, Pete?' James ruffled his hair, examining the environment. 'Won't you stay for your three _single friends_? We're the Marau – oh, wow,' he suddenly paused and took a deep breath. 'Take care of each other, will you? I'll be right back.'

Remus watched him make his way through the thick crowd to a corner, where Lily Evans was talking animatedly to Neville. She wore emerald green robes with white puffed sleeves, which brought out the green of her eyes and was a good match for her deep red hair now tied into a messy bun.

Sirius and Remus looked at each other. A second later they were both bursting with laughter.

'He meant he'd be back a hundred years later, after he and Evans have spawned a dozen more Harries,' Sirius wiped away his tears from laughing too hard. 'Lucky that I brought Exploding Snaps. It's not illegal to play Snaps at the Yull Ball, is it?'

'No, Dumbledore would probably toast to that. How romantic, playing Exploding Snaps among dancing couples to the beat of waltzes,' Remus deadpanned. Chuckling, he casually extended a hand to Sirius. 'Care to be my date tonight, Mr Black?'

'Not unless you bring me food, Mr Lupin,' Sirius smirked. 'I'm starving.'

* * *

After eight rounds of Exploding Snaps and all the food devoured, Sirius sat at the table near the candyfloss fountain, a goblet rolling between his palms, golden Butterbeer swinging against the glass, feeling extremely bored. Not that he didn't enjoy his time with Remus, but a ball wasn't supposed to be like _this_. James sodding Potter was off chasing Evans and ditching him, while Peter was on the dance floor actually _dancing_. Then there was Sirius Black, who was meditating like a monk, watching magical snowflakes fall and couples kiss under mistletoes. He looked left and right, squinting for the sight of Remus, who had gone to take dessert for them.

 _Where the hell has he gone to?_

'If you'll excuse me,' mumbled Sirius as soon as he saw a flicker of brown hair at the front of the Hall where the Weird Sisters, a popular wizarding band, were playing bizarre music. He stood up, pushing the giggling girl away from his lap. She fell, head first down the floor. He ran in the direction of Remus, who was holding two plates and were apparently in the same predicament. The only difference was that he was not as cruel as Sirius as to shove the girl off brutally but was trying his best to talk her out of it.

'I'm afraid, ah, I am rather hungry,' Remus stuttered, awkwardly avoiding the girl in apple green satin robes, now having her arms draped over him. 'Maybe later?'

'Later?' she purred, her hazel eyes strangely bright and shiny, a dazed look rested on her face. 'It's now or never, but "never" is not an option.' She giggled, her hand already slicing down Remus's trunk, into his robes.

'Oi! Piss off!' Sirius sprinted as anger rose up his chest. 'Can't you tell that he doesn't want you!'

'Don't –' Remus paled visibly, wiggling and struggling under the girl's arms. With a duck he successfully escaped, the two plates still upright and intact on his palms (Sirius had to commend him on his agility). He backed away hurriedly, but the girl, who was by far the most adamant female Sirius had ever seen, got up and lunged at Remus again. Startled, he ran to the nearest exist, which led him away from the enchanted Great Hall and into a dark corridor. She followed suit, her hand already getting hold the hem of his cloak.

'Ouch!' Sirius heard them scream. Speeding up, he halted himself in front of a shifting great lump under a velvet curtain. _So we're in the backstage preparation room then,_ thought Sirius, _which is good, because no one will be here to witness the torture I'll execute on the clingy bitch._

'Stop – get off me!' Remus's muffled protests came under the curtain.

'Oooh, touchy. Can I have a look?' the girl spoke in a singsong. 'Take off your cloak, uh-huh, what's inside, I wonder –'

' _Stupify_!' Sirius bellowed and pointed his wand at the flying red lump which he was sure was the girl.

'Ouch.' Grumbling, the great lump stood up, revealing a flustered Remus under the curtain with gravy spilled all over him, the two plates he was holding crashed into four pieces at his feet. He placed the girl horizontally in his lap; half his robes were pulled off, baring his undershirt.

'You knocked her out,' breathed Remus. He steadied himself, still panting heavily, beads of sweat trailing down his cheeks. 'She would've fallen and broken her neck, if I hadn't caught her.'

'She would've fallen and _got laid_ , if I hadn't stupefied her. Drop that monster, will you?' Sirius mimicked Remus in a high-pitched tone, reaching out to pull up Remus's robe so that it was in the proper place again. 'She's as aggressive as an Inferi wanting to skin you alive. Birds nowadays,' he tutted, making his comment in a voice much lower and more mature than it usually was.

Remus stilled. Inhaling deeply, he put her down carefully on the floor. 'She's drunk, I reckon. Or under a love potion.'

'Or under a spell,' a cold voice called behind them. Sirius and Remus spun on their heels, coming face to face with a sneering Snape, who was standing crossed-arm and blocking the way entirely.

'Let me see,' said Snape softly, bringing his hooked nose down to them. 'What have we got here? Two male students in a dark room, an unconscious girl on the floor… one has his robes pulled off…' his black, beady eyes wandered to Remus's shoulder, on which lay his robes, pulled up sloppily by Sirius, 'and one has his wand out… why, I think it's self-explanatory.'

'Fuck off, Snivellus,' Sirius growled, bringing himself up to face Snape fully. 'It's not what your perverted mind thinks it is.'

'It is not?' Snape whispered dangerously, his black irises sparkling a menacing glint. 'And when it comes to perversity, I'm sure you know a lot more than me, Black. Time will tell.'

'She groped him! Molested him! Would've raped him if I hadn't barged in!' Sirius snarled. He jumped and lunged at Snape, but Remus rushed forward and pulled him back.

'Sirius –'

Paying no heed to Remus, Snape continued, his beady eyes boring straight into Sirius like they could burn holes on him. 'What a good guard dog you are, lying for the werewolf,' he lifted his gaze from Sirius for a moment as he shot a sidelong glance at Remus. 'Tell me, Lupin, since when are you attractive enough to have someone dying to rape you?'

Heat rose up Remus's cheeks; mortified, his grip on Sirius slackened. Something fell from the pocket of his robes, but Sirius was too occupied to see what it was. Seizing the opportunity, he broke free from Remus, the most vicious, cruelest hex rolling at the tip of his tongue –

' _Expelliarmus_!'

The wand flew out of Sirius's grip forcefully, landing in Snape's left palm with a perfect arc. At the same time, he felt himself freeze in midair; stumbling, he fell to the ground as ropes appeared out of thin air and snaked up his limbs and body.

'Ah,' Snape's foot tapped on the thing that fell from Remus's pocket – a small piece of parchment, now that Sirius saw it as he struggled to get up – 'A parchment. Don't tell me you're studying to the point that you carry notes around in the _Yule Ball_ …'

Sirius saw the muscles on Remus's arms contracted and relaxed a second after, clearly having thought better of snatching the parchment from Snape. His face turned bright red then green then white in a few seconds, his knuckles white within the sleeves of his robes.

Snape was clearly relishing the moment. He peered at the parchment, his right hand paused on its way to the pocket, as if contemplating whether to use his wand or not. And then, seeming to have decided against it, he slowly unfolded the parchment, making sure that Remus saw his every move.

'Re, can we meet?' Snape read out slowly and loudly, his black brows arched up a little. 'Nice pet name, indeed. Should've known a werewolf wouldn't understand a word that's not monosyllabic.'

'Y-yes, that's my nickname.' To Sirius's surprise, Remus spoke, his composure regaining though his voice was still shaky. 'It's a letter. Someone sent it to me and I was just going to chuck it to the fire. May I have it back?'

'No,' Snape's lips curled unpleasantly. 'The last time I took a parchment from a student, it turned out that his parchment was _coded_.' His gaze swiveled back and forth on Remus's letter, but his wanded hand held still. Instead of casting a revealing spell, he refolded it and put it in his pocket. 'Who knows if it's your bait to lure your victim to your trap? I'm confiscating it.'

'I told you –' Sirius's temporarily suppressed temper flared up again once the shock of seeing Remus's letter getting confiscated was over, ' – that we were the victims, not her –'

'We shall see who the real victim is, then. _Prior Incantato_ ,' said Snape idly, his own wand pointing at Sirius's wand on his palm, ignoring Sirius who was barking protests on the floor. A shot of red light erupted from the wand tip, narrowly missing Remus who ducked and dodged it in time.

'I see, a Stunning Spell,' Snape's lips curled up maliciously. 'No doubt cast on the girl before performing your debauched business.'

'Yes! A Stunning Spell!' Sirius roared at the top of his lungs. 'You bloody, stupid, perverted motherfucker, for God's sake she was groping him –'

'WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?'

A beam of white light shone from the door, illuminating a scarred face and a blue magical eye rolling madly in its socket. Moody.

Snape's arms fell to his side, his cloak flying as he turned to face Moody fully. 'Just caught a werewolf in heat, and his guard dog licking his leftover.'

Moody's lipless mouth pressed into a very thin line. He looked at Remus, at Sirius, then at the still unconscious girl on the floor, his magical eye whizzing. Without a word, he edged forwards on his wooden leg and pointed his wand at Sirius.

The ropes disappeared. Sirius got up at once, jabbing his finger at Snape and barked, 'the bitch threw herself on Remus and _Professor_ Snape here has the genius mind to accuse us of assaulting her –'

'SILENCE,' Moody growled. 'Was it true, Snape? That she assaulted him? Not the other way round?' He said, word by word, as if threatening Snape to contradict him. 'The Headmaster wouldn't be very happy if we wrong anyone on _our_ side …'

Snape said nothing. Lips pressed together, his scorching gaze landed on Sirius across his hooked nose, and for a split second Sirius had the haunted feeling that Snape could read his mind. _Sod the motherfucker, sod Snivellus. Why didn't he arrive earlier to see the bitch grope Moony for himself? Bloody Snivellus, thinking he is better being the bloody professor…_

'Very well,' said Snape abruptly, his voice void of any emotions. 'I trust that you'll have the right judgement as to the situation on hand, and from now on I shall have nothing to do with the matter.'

With that he turned and strode out with a flick of his cloak, blowing up a layer of dust behind him. It fell down the air, making itself a cheesy replication of the enchanted snowflakes sprinkling down the dancing crowd in the Great Hall.


	15. More Drama

'Now, lads,' Moody said as he leaned on his wooden leg, looking genuinely irritated and tired. 'Care to explain what _really_ happened here? I cannot possibly rush to your aid every single time you knock someone out, or vanish a bone–'

'I told you what happened, it's the truth,' argued Sirius. 'She threw herself at him, I stunned her, Snape made a fuss about a letter. That's it.'

'A letter?' Moody raised an eyebrow.

'Remus's love letter. He –'

'Someone wrote to me asking if we could meet,' Remus interjected, his cheeks growing red. 'Just a stupid letter, really, considering the night's almost over.'

'Then why did Snape take it?' Moody said, both his eyes rolling as he did some really quick calculation. 'What's a letter got to do with him?'

'He thought it was coded,' Sirius sneered. 'It's not like he's got a love letter himself before.'

Moody snorted. He pulled out a bottle and drank from it, before lowering himself onto the floor and muttered a spell. The girl on the floor stirred; she opened her eyes and looked up, addressing the three people around her with wide brown eyes which tears started to fill up.

'You got drunk and got into a fight with these gentlemen,' Moody said gruffly. 'Get up, get dressed properly and go back to your dormitory. You don't want your friends to know about it.'

She nodded and fled.

Moody stared at her leaving the room; for a moment or two no one spoke a word. Sirius looked at Moody, then at Remus, both of whom looking thoroughly shocked as though didn't know what to make of the situation. Finally, Moody snapped out of his brooding and turned to the two boys. He lowered his body, so that they were on eye levels.

'It was a peculiar incident,' he said hoarsely. 'Snape, if you haven't already known, were on the _other_ side –' Sirius's eyes widened, ' –and I'm constantly feeling that he's up to something. He knows who you are, and with your vendetta, I would suggest that you don't goad him on again,' he looked at Sirius sternly, who nodded reluctantly.

After Moody limped out of the dark room, Sirius and Remus decided that they too, had had enough for a night and would like to retreat to the safety of their dormitory. Although the Ball would be closing in two hours, everyone seemed to be having the time of their lives that no one wanted to leave the hall before midnight. The corridors were deserted; even the portrait frames were empty save for the one at the very back where all the lords and ladies and knights congregated, having a very merry Christmas of their own.

They walked shoulder to shoulder, but neither spoke. Sirius supposed Remus was still recovering from the shock like himself; after all, being accused of sexual harassment was not a pleasant event on Christmas night.

'D'you want to talk about it?' asked Sirius at last.

'What?'

He could hear the guarded tone in Remus's response. Was he expecting this question all night long?

'Oi, relax,' Sirius tried to make the mood lighter as they rounded a corner into the garden, where a shortcut to their side of the seventh floor winded between bushes and marble statues. 'On the plus side, it looks like you're way more popular than you thought. It's a good thing to know. Maybe if you open up a bit – _oh_.'

Before them stood a woman in velvet blue robes. She was clutching a crocodile skin handbag, an acid green quill quivered on a notepad floated eerily in midair.

'Rita Skeeter,' Remus breathed. She beamed, presumably because someone recognised her.

'I am. Pleased to meet you boys. I write for the Daily Prophet, but surely you know that? I am working on the Triwizard Tournament 24/7 now, and, of course, our mysterious fourth champion, Harry Potter. It seems that you are very close with him...' she searched Sirius's gaze expectantly, '…and it would be lovely if you could enlighten our avid readers about Harry and the Tournament in general.'

Remus and Sirius exchanged a glance. 'Um, actually, we're quite busy at the moment –'

But Rita Skeeter seemed to take this as an invitation. She cleared her throat; at once the floating quill gave a violent shake. Like a bird, it dived and dashed across the parchment, scribbling:

 _Two testosterone-driven teenagers, clothes disarrayed and angry, walked out of the Hogwarts Yule Ball. It is reported that the two had had a falling out with Harry Potter, the youngest Hogwarts champion –_

'Hold on, that's not what's happened,' Sirius yelped.

'Don't mind my Quick-Quoting Quill, Mr… Black?' Rita Skeeter raised an eyebrow. Sirius froze. _How did she know that? Does she know I'm Sirius Black?_

She held up a hand and said briskly, 'The best journalists do background research before an interview. I approach only the most reliable sources, which is why you and Mr Lupin are here now. So, what are your thoughts on Harry's choice of his date tonight?'

Meanwhile, the quill kept skidding across the parchment:

 _Mr Black, an Adonis with sleek black hair and high cheek bones, who at first glance could be mistaken as –_

'He's muggleborn,' said Remus shrilly. 'H-he happens to be good-looking, but that doesn't mean anything.'

Rita Skeeter nodded eagerly. 'Yes, yes, that's new information. With such good looks, surely Harry was no close match? Why did he of the three of you win the Battle of Love?'

'We didn't fight with him, woman,' Sirius glared at her. 'Get your facts straight, and _goodnight_.' He turned, pulling Remus with him away from the journalist. But her next words wafted through the cold air like a breeze, even with his scarf and earmuffs on Sirius still felt a shiver down his spine.

'It's occurred to me that the poor boy's friends look uncannily like … I don't know, his significant someone? Is that why he's so obsessed with you lot?'

They spun around. Rita Skeeter smiled gloatingly. She looked down at them, her eyes heavy with makeup that looked like pastes sticking onto her eyelids. 'This is such a beautiful love-hate relationship. My understanding is that there seems to be a love letter involved, so if you don't mind –'

Sirius lost his temper. Snape had already filled every cell of his with bursting energy; now, tired and still furious, Rita Skeeter's questions had his pulse quickened to the point that it might burst through his skin and jump right at Rita.

'I _do_ mind, unfortunately,' he said loudly, 'no one is obsessed with anyone. You're just as annoying as Snivellus, making a stupid fuss about a stupid love letter –' he was meaning to pull out his wand, but Remus got his arms and pulled him back forcefully.

'Get lost, hag,' was the last thing he spat before Remus pulled him successfully behind a bush where they were completely obscured from Rita Skeeter. They trudged back to the castle; Sirius felt like exploding. What a day to remember –

with Snape and Rita Skeeter on his way – especially when it's Christmas in the future with his best friend's son participating in some murderous Tournament.

'… No Moody is going to save our asses this time,' Remus was saying exasperatedly, 'what if she suspects –'

'What if you didn't stop me and let me hex her,' Sirius shot back. 'What if! What if! What if the buggering twit never sent you the letter! Then we would never have gone through all these!'

'Sorry,' said Remus suddenly, looking away. 'I was going to burn it, the … letter, if Snape hadn't confiscated it.'

Sirius said nothing but went ahead of him. Deep down he was guilty; he thought of how he'd flirted with the girls, enjoying their attention, while he almost blew up the Common Room when he discovered that Remus befriended Cho, who'd actually taken the trouble to ask if Professor Lupin was alright after the moon. But then anger got the better of him, so he swallowed his apology and kept his face blank.

He led the way into the Common Room and rushed to the drawer, taking out brand new pyjamas and woolly socks supplied by the Room of Requirement. _How thoughtful of Dumbledore_ , he thought, as he let his mind wandered to anywhere but Remus, who hovered at the doorway, looking uncertain whether or not to come in at all.

'This will never happen again, I promise.' He looked like he had thought it a million times over and finally had his mind set on saying it.

'Hang them on the peg for me, will you?' Sirius said impatiently as he took off his Ball robes and trousers, tossing them at Remus's direction. 'Just, the next time you introduce yourself, don't say you're "Re",' he crunched up his face, turning back before he entered the bathroom. 'John is good enough for them. I'd like to think Remus or Re or Moony are only reserved for us.'

'It's not what you think,' Remus mumbled, the colour of his face flickering between red and white.

But Sirius had already closed the door to the bathroom, just as splashing sounds were heard as water poured down from the shower head.

* * *

Everyone got up early on Boxing Day. The tastes of Butterbeer, Firewhisky and puddings lingered in the air; though feeling rather flat that Christmas was over, they couldn't help but reminisced about last night's events.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had come over to the Marauders' early in the morning. Personally Remus quite liked this kind of 'family time' – he couldn't help smile at how Harry would call him Uncle Moony (not for now, it'd make things awkward) and how he and James, Sirius, Peter and Lily would form a private universe of their own in future.

But then he thought of last night, and his smile faded. Sirius and Remus had shared with their friends what had happened to them, but James and Peter thought it was no big deal. On the other hand, Harry still had a second task looming above him; the only good news was that according to Hermione, Harry had had some progress with the egg.

'Don't worry, I don't think Skeeter's smart enough to figure out how time travelling actually works… She's not our Harry,' he looked fondly at him, who flashed him a smile, the golden egg cradled in his lap. But as Remus observed, his smile was immediately replaced by a look of worry after James resumed his talking.

'… What was I saying? Right, she talked to me, saying I didn't look half bad,' James was practically glowing. 'I reckon that's a big step. A small step on the dance floor, a giant leap for the Potter family.'

'I don't think she has much choice now that we're technically in the future,' Peter unwrapped his presents from James – a chess set. 'Ooh, I love this. Ta, Jamie.'

'No problem,' said James. He ruffled Harry's hair on his way to the table where a cluster of mess – James's quills, ink box, essays, notes etc – lay, and flopped down onto the chair. 'Who will do my Herbology Essay in exchange for Charms?'

* * *

James's sudden motivation to do homework was not unreasonable. Not only did the time travellers have to catch up on the new syllabus (it was much more updated and advanced than it had been in their time), they also had to prepare for O.W.L.s, which no one could guarantee would not happen before they were transported back in time.

The teachers were relentless. Quizzes, tests, assessments came pressing in, bombarding them, forcing them to revise. Peter once went into a heated discussion with James and Sirius why no one was kind-hearted enough to exempt the poor Marauders from the cruel treatment, only to earn the Marauders a lecture from McGonagall on the importance of lifelong learning. Speaking of lifelong learning, Remus's regret at having taken Divination had only grown deeper each time he had the class. When it came to O.W.L.s, he never thought that the most joyful lesson (which had been his sleeping class before things got serious) would become such a pain in the arse.

'…Gemstones are extremely accurate in reflecting one's soul,' Professor Trelawney's breathy voice drifted through the foggy classroom. 'Miss Evans, what would you say is the stone that represents you most?'

'Um…' Lily looked up the chart frantically.

'True Seers can tell it without reference,' said Professor Trelawney, her dreamy voice imbued with pride. 'Amethyst,' she announced, and Lily actually breathed a sigh of relief. 'And what about you, sons of Poseidon?' She turned to James and Remus, her gaze narrowly missing Harry, who was squirming behind the snoring Ron.

Sirius snickered. Since they handed in their essay on the movements of planets, Trelawney had taken to them immediately and never failed to draw attention to James and Remus. She also insisted upon calling them 'sons of Poseidon' because it just sounded so _professional_ from a Divination teacher.

'Moonstone,' said Remus dryly.

'Brilliant, Mr Lupin and Mr Potter,' Trelawney rubbed her bony hands together as James opened his mouth in horror. 'This is what I call Seer material. Since you demonstrated exceptional talent,' she inhaled sharply, as if to provide dramatic effect, 'I'd like you two to elaborate an extra five inches on an daily example in addition to the fifteen inches on the properties of gemstones the rest of the class is having.'

Remus slumped.

* * *

Sirius and Peter guffawed all the way back, ignoring Remus's sulking and James's colourful language. The teasing continued through dinner and night, until James couldn't stand it anymore and announced that he needed a visit to the kitchens at midnight.

'I can eat a horse,' he grunted. He still looked sullen from being teased by Harry and Lily about being one of Trelawney's favourite students. 'Trelooney disgraced me, that old hag –'

'Master James, Master Sirius!'

He was effectively cut off by the loud, shrill greetings from a house elf with baggy skin and pointy nose. 'Master Remus, Master Peter! Oh!' she screeched.

'Pinky?' said Remus in surprised. Pinky was one of the house elves that had served them regularly in the 70s.

'Where has the time gone –!' Pinky sniffed, wiping her nose with her cloth. 'Pinky decided to come out from the dish-washing section to have some fresh air –' she pointed to a chamber behind the rows of long table where hundreds of house elves made food, and somehow her brows furrowed in a guilty manner, ' – and see who old Pinky ran into!'

'You recognised us?' said Sirius suspiciously. 'I mean, it's been a long time –'

'Oh yes, Pinky does recognise young Masters James, Sirius, Remus and Peter,' Pinky rocked back and forth slightly. 'We house elves always recognise our true masters, no matter how old or young they are. We house elves feel honoured to serve them, with all our heart and all our –'

'Dobby serves no one!' squeaked another house elf – Dobby – who was stirring a flour mixture behind Pinky. He wore a tea-cosy for a hat and a pair of mismatched socks, which made him a dot of colour among the plain cloths the other elves were wearing. 'Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby gets paid to work at Hogwarts!'

Remus cocked his head to the side, watching the glassy-eyed elf in deep thoughts. It's never occurred to him that house elves could be 'free' and led their life without a master, and his heart swelled with sympathy and somehow, admiration for the bizarre house elf in front of him. But then, Pinky's scornful remarks broke him free from his trance as she shook her round head violently, making her way to a big apple pie between James and Sirius.

'Dobby is mad, Dobby should not say disrespectful things like that,' she murmured, cutting four slides from the big pie, 'once her masters, forever her masters.'

'Is Pinky saying that even though her master –' Dobby shouted, but suddenly Pinky rushed forward and put her hand tightly around his mouth, glaring at him like she wanted to chop him into pieces.

'Do not insult Pinky's masters,' she hissed. 'Young Masters James, Sirius, Remus and Peter come visit Pinky in good health, and Pinky should reward them with all her best effort.' She dropped her gaze and continued, more quietly this time, 'Pinky is bound to the Hogwarts kitchen. What happens outside this kitchen is not of Pinky's concern.'

The Marauders watched the elves' exchange curiously. Peter's head turned left and right swiftly as he followed the conversation of the two elves, now standing at the two ends of the long table the Marauders were feasting at.

'Dobby is not bound to the kitchen,' said Dobby indignantly. 'Dobby is free to enter and leave as he pleases.'

'You can walk around the castle?' asked Sirius around a mouthful. 'Corridors, classrooms, secret passages, teachers' offices?'

'Oh yes, Dobby can,' replied Dobby proudly, his initial grudges against the Marauders seemed to have forgotten temporarily. 'Dobby can even leave Hogwarts if he likes.'

'What about Snape's office?' Sirius said, his voice suddenly pregnant with malice. Remus's head jerked up so fast from his own serving of apple pie that his neck almost broke. His heart was pounding very fast; hadn't they had enough trouble with Snape already?

'Not a problem,' Dobby's round head bobbed. 'Dobby has no problem breaking in Harry Potter's least favourite teacher's office. Harry Potter freed Dobby, and Dobby will do anything in return for kind sir Harry Potter.'

Sirius and James nodded eagerly; Remus swore that he saw James teared up a little at Harry's kind act. 'So,' Sirius pressed on, the smile on his face a little contorted, 'you can break into Snivellus's office? With us?'

'Sirius –' Remus started, but James got ahead of him as Dobby nodded.

'Brilliant,' he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 'Bring us all in. We'll get our revenge.'


	16. Marauding

James and Sirius walked in front, with Remus and Peter following closely behind. They had done this a million times before, but it felt entirely different breaking into their longtime enemy, now their teacher's office. On one hand, Remus wanted to yank his friends back and end the whole marauding; on the other hand, he was just as thrilled and as eager as the rest of the rule-breakers. What would they find in Snape's office? What destruction could they bring to the haughty professor?

'Here,' James whispered just as Dobby stopped in front of a door made of black wood. It was plain and simple, yet the locks on it was complicated enough to deter intruders just by looking at them. Remus supposed they worked like gears; they were all intertwined in a particular order, so if you triggered the wrong lock, the whole system would only get more complicated than before, not to mention the alarm or defence system it would possibly activate.

' _Alohomora_ ,' said Peter tentatively. Nothing changed. They all expected it; of course, no teacher's office would be guarded by just a locking spell.

They all looked expectantly at Dobby, who nodded and clicked his fingers. Instantly the black wood door in front of them dissolved. Remus felt himself spinning, his whole body being lifted up from the floor; all his limbs were compressed and pulled by a great force, and he felt like he would split into five pieces if this continued. Finally, after what seemed to have been a lifetime, his senses recovered as he felt his feet touching solid ground again.

'Wicked,' Sirius gasped. He snapped open his eyes.

In front of them was a large working desk, where jars and boxes clustered at the centre. Behind the desk was a cupboard, where more glass containers lay. Even with his basic potions knowledge Remus could recognise some of them: dittany, bee livers, dragon scales, and most of all, wolfsbane, which gave out the strongest smell. Several piles of parchments with angry red marks were stacked neatly along the periphery of the desk; and at the very end was a little vase the size of a palm, in which a withered white flower stooped.

'We can add Floral Boy to his list of nicknames,' James snickered. He started to move around, opening every cupboard and drawer and stirring with his hand. Peter and Sirius went to James's side, grabbing and pocketing anything that fell out during James's sabotage. It had quickly escalated from messing up Snape's office to a game between them; judging by their shouts whoever caught most things would become the winner.

Peter suddenly came to a halt when he bent to fetch an ox eye that rolled under the working desk. 'Is that your letter?' He picked up a small folded piece of parchment from the desk, which was placed underneath the white vase. It was folded into such a small piece that it was probably why they didn't see it when they first came in.

Remus came forwards to examine the parchment. It had scorch marks and remains of spells on it, and was crumpled and torn at the edges, but the scrawling handwriting on it was clearly visible. It was his letter all the same.

'Yes,' said Remus, though the slightly high-pitched end of his reply indicated his confusion as to the state of his letter.

'The question is,' Sirius voiced the unspoken question, 'what has Snivullus done to it? ' The mental image of Snape abusing a student's letter in his free periods was so comedic that he actually barked out a laugh.

James shook his head dismissively. 'I reckon he's up to something,' he paused for a breath and continued, 'I wouldn't be surprised if he's holding a grudge and finding excuses to expel us.'

'If that's the case then he's got a funny sense investigating Remus's letter,' Peter said doubtfully. 'I still don't understand why he made such a fuss about a love letter.'

'Maybe he found it weird that a person as unpopular as I actually got sent a note,' Remus shrugged.

'You're saying this nonsense again, Moony,' Sirius wore a slight frown. 'How many times –'

'Shh,' Peter held up a hand, looking left and right furtively. At once the Marauders stopped talking; it was their sign language that something's happening. Or more possibly, someone's approaching.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

Sounds of heavy footsteps echoed outside the office. It was light at first, but was becoming clearer and clearer each time it sounded. After hearing this so many times, it was no mistaking that the person approaching was Moody, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

'Cloak,' James mouthed as he fished out the silky invisibility cloak from his pocket. Sirius pulled Dobby behind him and they managed to hide under the cloak when the door to the office opened silently.

A familiar wooden leg emerged from behind the door first, then a scarred face with mass tissues here and there and half a nose followed. Even though they had been rescued a million times by Moody before, his sudden appearance in the dark was still eerie and horrifying that Remus felt goosebumps all over his body.

Moody scanned the office calmly, taking in the halfway sabotaged office and ingredients that Peter and Sirius failed to catch. Flattening themselves along the wall as much as possible, the Marauders took deep breaths and stretched so that Moody could limp past without bumping into them. They were not entirely sure that, as liberal as Moody had so far acted in regard to their rule breaking, he would let them off easily this time.

'Dumbledore's going to regret it,' said Moody dangerously. 'He's wrong from the start, employing a death eater like you.'

The Marauders remained silent, though under the cloak, four heads jerked up at this surprising piece of information. Who was Moody talking about? Judging by his location, there was only one apparent answer –

'Think you can hide from an experienced Auror?' continued Moody as he edged towards the cupboards, opening them one by one. He looked through them thoroughly, examining every piece of parchment and ingredients, as though he was searching Snape's office. He stopped when he saw Remus's letter, which lay listlessly on the table.

Remus felt his heart thudding so loudly that he suspected Moody could also hear it. Unlike Snape, who seemed to have treated the letter like some sort of highly confidential evidence of treason, Moody simply speculated it with his magical eye a second or two before putting it back. He turned around again, this time, his eye landed on a cupboard near the ceiling.

He raised his wand wordlessly. The door of the cupboard threw open, revealing a pot containing some seaweed-like plants. Remus looked up to see that the cupboard was designed like a greenhouse. There was a magically conjured cloud above it, where moonlight shone through. In a blink of an eye, mini-rain started in the little cupboard, raindrops pouring down the plant.

Just as Moody began to move – possibly reaching up to investigate the plant – loud sounds of screeching and wailing echoed through the corridor, startling the Marauders, Dobby and Moody in the office. Without a second thought Moody bolted right out of the office, leaving the cupboard and office doors ajar.

'PEEVES!'

Filch's unmistakable cry filled the castle. Almost immediately, someone in grey nightshirt rushed past the office. In dim wand light, Remus could make out it was the very owner of this office – Snape.

'Let's get out before things get worse,' whispered Remus. He tiptoed to the door, conveniently pocketing the letter that had caused all these on his way out. The Marauders followed, James _Accio_ -ing the unknown plant and Sirius shuffling the marked papers with the unmarked ones before they finally left.

'Ta, Dobby,' James waved at the house elf. 'We had an amazing night.'

Dobby smiled, and with a click, he was gone. The wailing sounds had stopped now, but there were definitely people talking. James adjusted the cloak and said, 'now, shall we …'

Remus groaned; despite that, he moved along with his eager friends, who were walking silently towards the corner where people were talking.

'…As an Auror, I have every right to search your office,' Moody's booming growl was easily recognisable. 'It's a convenient position for you, isn't it, lurking in Hogwarts while having some past connections outside?'

'You know I hide nothing,' another familiar voice spoke. Snape. 'As you've searched my office pretty thoroughly yourself.'

James and Sirius were panting with excitement now. They'd long hoped to see a face-to-face confrontation between the two. Delirious, they almost darted just as Snape's angry accusation pierced their eardrums, freezing James and Sirius on the spot.

'POTTER!' Snape shouted. 'IT'S POTTER HIDING UNDER HIS INVISIBILITY CLOAK! I RECOGNISED IT!'

'Run,' hissed Remus. The four didn't need further encouragement to wheel around and rushed to take the shortcut behind the second statue on the right. Panting and sweating, they climbed the steps and finally swung open the painting on the seventh floor, which meant they were now safely outside Snape or Moody's reach.

'That was a close one,' Peter squeaked. One by one they marched into their own special Common Room.

'How come Snivellus knew we were under the cloak though?' James frowned as he flopped onto his bed. 'He even said he recognised it…'

'Dunno,' replied Peter. 'But it doesn't matter now, does it? He caught your cloak, but he didn't catch us using our shortcut,' he flipped over his robes to pour out the spoils from Snape's office sabotage. 'Anyway, I think this lot has done us enough justice.'

'Never say enough,' said Sirius. He too began taking out the things he'd pocketed. 'But I do wonder how he's going to do his bloody demonstrations now,' he said gleefully.

'He's a death eater,' said James out of nowhere as the conversation between Moody and Snape sunk in. They were in a hurry to get out just now, but now that they were back in their dormitory, they had enough time to digest this piece of information. 'We have death eaters in our time as well, Dad's always got a few to deal with every few weeks.'

'I'm not surprised he is one,' said Sirius darkly. 'Typical of Slytherin, sticking around with Rosier and Avery that lot, knowing enough hexes to jinx the whole school when he was in first year –'

'He said Dumbledore trusted him,' Remus interjected. 'If Dumbledore trusts him, there's no reason we don't.'

'Well I don't,' said Peter with a tinge of tremor. 'He's been waiting to do us all in. If he could kill us now, he wouldn't have to suffer back then. It makes sense.'

'No he doesn't,' Remus argued. He stood up and paced up and down. 'Yes, he hates us, but I don't think he wants us dead. He could've done it easily, now that he's older and much more skillful than us, but he didn't. He could've easily poisoned me by meddling with the Wolfsbane potion, but again, he didn't. In fact, he's trying his very best _not_ to hurt us so he won't mess up Time.' He thought of that time when Snape first gave him his potion in the Hospital Wing, telling him how he hoped the broken rib had pierced right through his heart, which just confirmed his theory.

'You're so daft, just think about it,' said Sirius impatiently. 'If you turned up dead drinking his potion, who would be the first suspect that people thought of? He wouldn't do it right under Dumbledore's nose, it's too obvious.'

James rose from his bed and nodded at Sirius. 'I'm not saying that must be what he is planning, but… well, he's got us enough trouble already. Why would he confiscate a harmless note in the first place? Why would he spend so much effort in examining it? What was it that he's trying to find?'

'Who was it from though?' asked Sirius a bit heatedly. 'Was it really just a letter?'

Remus walked back to his bed and climbed in. 'You've seen everything, it's really just a letter I got on the night of the Yule Ball,' he whispered. 'I promise there will be no next time.'

Having no further progress with their discussion, they all agreed that they'd pay special attention to Snape in future. Together with the plant James stole, they put their trophies into a linen bag and tied it securely. Ten minutes later, now that the bag was placed behind a bookshelf and the letter safely under his pillow, Remus breathed the first sigh of relief since the Yule Ball. Feeling guilty that this was all his fault, he vowed that he'd never let a living soul see it again before he burned it.


	17. Harry's Story

**A/N: I broke this chapter in half, and here's the first part.**

The next day was a Saturday. After yesterday's incident, the Marauders got up pretty late and were only quick enough for breakfast in the last minute. Most students and teachers had finished breakfast and gone back to their respective dorms, only very few remained in the Hall. Sirius practically rushed in to sit beside Lily, Harry, Ron and Hermione. He was so eager to tell them about their midnight adventure.

'Is it just me or is everyone really looking funny at us?' Remus said under his breath as his gaze rested ominously at the incoming owls carrying rolls of the Daily Prophet. Following Remus's eyes, Sirius spat out his juice when he saw the headline on Hermione's subscription of the Daily Prophet. 'What the hell is that?'

Half of the first page was occupied by a picture of Remus and Sirius walking shoulder by shoulder. Although their faces couldn't be clearly seen due to them covering their faces in shock, it was obvious that Remus's robes were badly arranged; half of it was threatening to slide down his shoulder, while Sirius's hair was in a mess. Both of them looked flustered and shocked.

'Oooh, our lovely couple is finally here,' a cold sneer sounded above their heads. Sirius whipped around to see Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle standing behind them, Malfoy spreading out the front page in front of his chest like he was holding a trophy. 'Did you break up? Did you make up already?'

'Sod off, Malfoy,' Harry snarled.

'You're not completely innocent either, Potter,' Malfoy drawled. He waved the newspaper gloatingly and started reading:

' _LOVE OR HATE: HOGWARTS CHAMPION STEPPED IN BETWEEN COUPLE_

 _Since the arrival of five mysterious transfer students, Harry Potter, the youngest champion competing in the Triwizard Tournament, have been involving in the tangled relationship. It was spotted that Messrs Black and Lupin, said couple, were fighting with Potter for a girl, Shirley Smyth, at the Yule Ball._

 _"_ _As far as I know, Potter has been lusting after multiple people in the past,' said a handsome Hogwarts model student, Mr Malfoy. 'He's so thirsty that he chases after both boys and girls. It's no surprise that he's first flirted with Black and Lupin, then trying to get off with the poor girl."_

 _It was reported that Black is from a muggleborn family, and he has been smitten by Potter since he first arrived at Hogwarts, abandoning his longtime flame Lupin, who, to be honest, is no close rival to Potter, being the Boy Who Lived and the charming school champion. Incidentally, Lupin was also hooked up with the Smyth whom Potter was after. It was Smyth's letter, which was addressed to Lupin and was asking him for a date that had initiated the fight between the three boys at the Ball, according to trusted sources._

 _"_ _I wanted so much to see you but the fight held me back," sobbed Lupin, who was seen lying on the floor and refusing to get up after the fight. "I need you desperately. Please let me talk to you. You said if there's anything I could go to you, and if we never talk again I'll die of grief!"_

 _Lupin made his final pledge saying that he'd be waiting under the yew tree near the Lake until she's willing to see him again._ '

Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly. Remus turned sickly green, while Sirius flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. Ron banged the table with his fist, saying furiously, 'anyone has half a brain will know that's not true! Happy that Skeeter buys your shit now, Malfoy?'

Malfoy wanted to say more, but he fled at the sight of Moody approaching, who looked livid and ready to kill. A Hufflepuff girl with brown eyes was trailing behind, and within seconds Sirius had recognised her as the girl who was drunk and had led him and Remus into a fight on the night of the Yule Ball.

'Smyth,' Moody grunted as he jutted his chin towards the slouching girl, 'Black and Lupin.' The time travellers and the trio looked between them, scared and curious at the same time.

Making an impatient snort, Moody continued, 'I see you made headlines today. What did you do to piss Rita Skeeter off?'

'We ran into her the night we…' Sirius gesticulated wildly. The article drove him crazy; not only was he shaken by how the others might view him after reading it, he was also worried about Remus, who was most reluctant and insecure when he became the centre of attention. He shot Shirley a glare and continued through gritted teeth, '…you know. She was right beside us.'

'How much did you tell her?' Moody scrunched up his face, his magical eye no longer whizzing but focusing attentively at the small crowd before him as the lines on his face hardened. 'How did she know about Smyth's involvement? And the letter? Did you actually show her you got a letter?'

'No, who do you think we are?' answered Sirius defensively. 'We were wondering about the same thing. She seems to know a lot, especially what had happened in the room when she wasn't even there to begin with.'

'True,' Moody pondered. 'Listen,' he lowered his voice, 'this Skeeter woman, I can tell that she's more than what she seems. She's an infamous journalist for a reason. I suspect…' he stopped to breathe before he said again, 'well, anyway, beware. I don't care what _really_ happened, just don't let it go further than what's already made public.'

'But that's not –'

'No, Black, but the public reads the Daily Prophet. They don't know that you got very, very drunk,' he looked at Shirley pointedly, 'and the real reason you had a fight. So let this become your reminder the next time you drink, Miss Smyth.' His lipless mouth became a thin line. Nodding timidly, Shirley Smyth bowed a little and left without turning back.

When Shirley had walked away far enough, Moody spoke again. 'I would suggest that, whatever business you have from now on, leave it until you're in your Common Room. Have you any idea how many times we've dealt with the Malfoys and the Rosiers that lot demanding to see you two in person since the Prophet came out?'

Sirius heard Lily draw a sharp breath. At first he thought Lily was exaggerating, but he felt a shiver down his spine soon as he understood the implication of people demanding to see him: the truth was teetering on its edge, threatening to spill out. Had the picture on the front page shown their full front face, the consequences would be a hundred times more severe. There wouldn't be just rumours flying around, or being stared at and laughed at, but Time being tampered with and the fate of multiple people being wrung up and twisted.

They returned to their Common Room silently. The moment the walls of the Room of Requirement sealed up, everyone started talking at once.

'Geez, that's one hell of a story that Skeeter came up with,' James ruffled his hair light-heartedly, like he always did when he was trying to lighten up the mood. 'I have to admit she would've got me hooked on had I not known the truth about you two.'

'Thanks, you just let me know how easily people would buy her story,' Remus played with a snagged yarn of his cardigan absent-mindedly while hunching over his Potions essay, looking thoroughly beaten and tired. His face was still green, and Sirius felt a churning sensation in his stomach – he didn't want Remus to feel awkward just because of the stupid article.

Peter was in the process of following Remus and starting to work on his Potions essay when he seemed to realise something and released his grip on the parchment, sending the content of his potions kit and the stack of parchments around the room. Everybody in the room looked at him in confusion as he gingerly explained, 'well… I'm not sure if I still want to do his homework…Snape… you know…'

'Oh!' Harry yelled all of a sudden just as James said 'ah!' at the same time.

'I've got something to tell you –'

'Me too –'

'So I took my egg to have a bath yesterday –'

'We went to Snape's office –'

'I ran into Snape – what –?' Harry's eyes snapped open at James's mention of Snape's office. 'You _went_ to his office? That was you?'

'Of course that was me,' James said indignantly. 'Snivellus even screamed "Potter!" when he knew I was under my cloak and he had no way of catching us.'

Harry's brows were raised to his hairline. He looked at Ron and Hermione for support, who were staring at him equally confusingly when he finally cleared his throat, 'No, it was me whom Snape was screaming about. He caught my egg and map, and thus deduced it was me wandering about.'

He took out his golden egg and further explained: 'some time ago I got Cedric's hint, saying that I should take the egg for a bath. So yesterday when no one was about, I sneaked into the prefect's bathroom and finally got something out of the egg –' he squirmed under Hermione's accusing glare – 'sorry I lied before, but this time I really solved the first few puzzles. Anyway, when I finished bathing and was about to return to the Gryffindor Tower, I saw Barty Crouch coming out of Snape's office on my map.'

Hermione covered her mouth in surprise. 'You saw Mr Crouch? That's impossible. He's been ill all this time, he didn't even come to the Yule Ball.'

Sirius looked between Harry and Hermione. Though intrigued by Harry's version of the incident yesterday, his mind half-preoccupied by something Harry just mentioned. 'Map…? It shows where people are in real time, doesn't it?'

'It's the Marauder's Map,' Hermione offered, her slight frown dissolved when realisation struck her. 'You haven't invented it, have you? Okay, I'm not going to tell you how it works, but the important thing is that, the Map never lies. If Harry saw Barty Crouch, it had to be him. Though I wonder if you misread the name after a hot bath…'

Sirius nodded and exchanged a knowing glance with his fellow Marauders. They were indeed working on a map, but it was still very basic and needed a lot of work done. If Harry had inherited the Map like he did with the Cloak, it truly meant that they were very successful with their mischief.

'… I swear to God that I saw it was indeed Bartemius Crouch on the Map,' Harry was saying. 'Like you, I couldn't believe my eyes, so I went to check and my leg was trapped in the trick step on the staircase. It was exactly at that moment that my egg fell down the stairs and started screeching, which alerted Filch, Snape and Moody at once.'

Remus was looking very serious, his stress caused by Rita Skeeter's article momentarily forgotten. 'So it was your egg that we heard when we were in Snape's office,' he blinked thoughtfully, 'assuming you read the Map correctly, then we were practically standing shoulder by shoulder with Mr Crouch yesterday.'

'I was too concentrated on Crouch that I didn't even see your labels,' said Harry embarrassedly. 'But yes, logically you were.'

Peter stood up suddenly. 'I'm sure you read it wrong,' he piped up. 'There was no one in the office except us. Just us, and Moody. He was murmuring something about Snape being a death eater and searching his office.'

Harry, Ron and Hermione stared. Sirius turned and saw Lily's face whiten at once, her posture suddenly very rigid. Hermione was the first one to overcome her shock. She flicked a lose strand to the side and asked, 'so what did Moody say about you being in Snape's office?'

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter opened their mouths in unison. 'Nothing,' they chorused, 'we were under the cloak. He couldn't see us.'

'Impossible,' said Harry loudly. 'Moody can see through my cloak, that's how he saw me on the stairs and talked Snape out of it without his noticing because Moody could see me under the cloak but Snape couldn't.'

Silence filled every inch of the room. The Marauders shared looks with their mouths open, communicating silently in their familiar way. _How come Moody didn't see them in the office?_ Sirius eyed his fellow marauders with questions marks on hanging on his brows. _If he could see through Harry's cloak, which technically was the same cloak that James was wearing, then he should be able to spot them at once yesterday._

At last, it was Lily who broke the silence. 'Maybe he was simply turning a blind eye, like what he did with Harry's first task and the brawl with Shirley Smyth,' she turned her face away from everyone and to the mantelpiece. 'It was too dangerous, with Crouch wandering mysteriously about in Sev... S… a death eater's … if you'll excuse me,' she stood up from her chair, still facing the mantelpiece, 'I need a nap. Didn't sleep well.'

Ron stared at her rushing into her room, her voice imbued with sympathy. 'Well, she's got a point. If Mr Crouch saw four time travellers in a death eater's office, God knows what a big deal he'd make of it. He works peacefully with Percy for a reason, you know.'

Sirius had only met Percy Weasley once at the Yule Ball (who was substituting the supposedly sick Mr Crouch), but he had to agree that Ron was right in him and his boss being alike and what could have possibly happened had he seen the Marauders.

'So Moody is probably here to keep an eye on Snape without alerting the Ministry,' Ron concluded.

Though still doubtful and puzzled, this explanation was generally accepted among the teenagers when no one put forward another idea as to Moody's odd behaviour.


	18. The Letters

Sirius was frustrated and confused. Harry's second task and Moody aside, he found Remus suddenly awkward around him. As much as Sirius hated to admit it, part of him actually felt excited. Sometimes he was so carried away that he had to remind himself that Remus and him were getting humiliated and it was _not_ something funny and worth feeling happy about.

'You know the article is a big load of bullshit,' said Sirius, his cheeks turning a bit pink at the thought of Rita Skeeter's article. 'There is absolutely no truth to it. Absolutely none.'

'No,' Remus tensed up obviously, his gaze glued to the journal on water magic he was reading. 'Though, it would be more believable if she paired you up with James,' he added dryly.

'Not funny, Moony,' Sirius nudged him in the ribs. 'I'd rather die than snagging James from the formidable Evans.'

Remus snorted. 'So it's only because Lily that you'd mind going all over James?'

Sirius's stomach gave a giant lurch. He was suddenly self-conscious that they were the only ones talking in the library.

They were with the others, devoting the rest of the day to solving the egg's hint, which was a song that could only be heard under water and which Harry admitted he had no idea what it was possibly about other than it being a merpeople's song. As if an unspoken agreement had established between them, no one talked about the Snape's Office Mystery anymore. Lily, who was by far the most shaken by the news, seemed to have recovered as her usual efficient and fierce self had come back, but occasionally, when she thought no one was looking, Sirius caught her staring into space with a blank expression.

'So the second task is set to be done under water,' Hermione pointed out briskly. 'The trick here is that you'll have to be a very good swimmer who can hold your breath for an hour…'

Fingers still pressed against the line he was reading, Remus edged closer to Sirius and whispered in his ear, 'if James and I fell into the sea and were drowning, who would you save?' He nodded and stuck out his chin at Hermione's direction to indicate that he agreed with whatever she was talking about. 'You could only save one.'

'… Aqualung is not an option,' Hermione was shaking her head. 'Harry wouldn't have enough time to learn to work it.'

'Can you transfigure yourself into a sea animal?' asked James, who had been very attentive the whole time. The Marauder had been practising Animagus transformation in secret behind Remus's back, and if by chance Harry was doing and same thing and was a sea animal in his Animagus form, that would solve everything.

'No, and he can't transfigure into a submarine either,' said Hermione with a piercing glance. 'We haven't done human transfiguration yet.'

Sirius smirked slyly and Hermione rolled her eyes. He turned back to Remus, who had been looking at the same spot of his book for a few minutes. 'You,' Sirius tried to sound as casual as he could. 'Potter can swim better than a dolphin, so he's probably only pretending to be drowned. But if I don't say you now, I'd be drowned before midnight.'

Remus shrugged and did not say more, though a smile started to creep up his rigid cheeks. Happy that Remus finally got his spirit back, Sirius returned to Harry's problem at hand.

'…Is there any potions that can help you breathe under water?' Peter pointed at the linen bag that contained the spoils from Snape's office. 'Now that we've got almost every potion ingredient, we might consider that.'

Lily shook her head desperately. 'Brewing potions is a very complicated process, not to mention such advanced potions like this usually need days, even weeks to brew. We don't have enough time with the Task coming up in two days.'

Despite knowing how slim the chances were, Lily delved into every book about potions in the Room of Requirement and the library. But when the new moon rose and twinkling stars emerged, none of the teenagers found a clue as to the second task. They returned to bed, veins throbbing madly in their brains but no idea sprung up.

Sunday was no difference. Sirius and James had never woken up so early to be in the library their whole life, only to have ended up empty-handed again and even sulkier than they already were. Remus left midway to see Professor Flitwick about his last charms practical, so the three Marauders left the Common Room to fetch some food for themselves and those still working, though they weren't entirely sure if anyone was in the right mood for eating.

Sirius led the way into their dorm, kicking a chair aside and flopped onto the bed nearest to the door. 'Food's here,' he grumbled, limbs stretching out and pushing away the duvet and pillow to make himself room on the bed. He was so fed up with the entire universe after battling with some thirty brick-sized books that he didn't even notice the pillow falling down the bed along with books and parchments under it. _So this was Remus's bed then,_ thought Sirius. Only the nerdiest Marauders (which in fact there was only one) would stack anything readable on his bed.

'He's gonna be angry when he comes back,' remarked Peter absent-mindedly. 'He doesn't like his things messed up.'

Sirius groaned, got up from the enticing mattress, and bent down to grab the pillow and the books. Only it wasn't any book but a Muggle magazine, and the parchments were stacks of letters tied together with a string.

'Letters?!' Sirius jumped, his head banged on the headboard with a loud _thump_. Having enough trouble from one single letter and the Prophet, Sirius had developed a phobia for letters and owls that delivered paperwork. 'Ohmygod –'

His exclamation drew the attention of everyone in the room to him.

'Since when was him so popul – _hem, hem_ ,' Peter swallowed his question with a cough. Normally this would get Sirius staring daggers at him for breaking the Marauder's code of conduct, but now Sirius was so focused on the evil pile that Peter's slip of mouth went unnoticed. He was staring at the stack, his mouth open, but his body was as still as a statue.

'Has Remus been corresponding?' Lily said uncertainly. 'I didn't know he's got friends here…'

James untied the stack and took out the first letter. ' _This is wrong. We cannot be seen_. Um, is this the same hand as that in the letter Snape confiscated…?' he paused, examining the familiar handwriting before moving on to the second letter. So these were Remus's letters alright, with Remus being the sender. ' _Thanks for the chocolate, but don't ever risk it again,_ ' continued James in an even weirder voice as he looked at the third letter. ' _He doesn't know_ –'

'ENOUGH OF THIS,' Sirius snatched the letters from James and clutched it tightly, his face purple with anger. How could he? How could Remus ditch them and talk to a stranger like that, putting all their identities at risk? How could Remus have the audacity to promise there would be no next time, when all along he had been doing the writing actively?

 _He doesn't know. I try very hard to keep it from him. Are we friends again? R._

Sirius's blood was practically boiling to the point of evaporation when his gaze rested on the letter that James had intended to read out. Different from the previous ones, this one was unmistakably in Remus's own handwriting, meaning it was him who sent it out.

'That's Shirley Smith, wasn't it,' he said darkly and with difficulty, his tongue twisted in a knot and the muscles on his face contorting. He rummaged deeper into the pillow and fished out the very letter that sent Snape crazy.

'He _lied_. _He lied to us all_. So here I thought I saved my friend… when in fact I had interrupted poor ol' Re's tryst,' he barked a bitter laugh, crumpling the letter in his palm and let it fall, 'how funny.'

Like a feather, the small piece of parchment drifted down near Hermione, who took it with hesitation.

'You can take it, if you like,' Sirius said, his lips red and thin and looking like those of a hungry vampire, though handsomely so. 'We don't have the privilege of calling him "Re", unfortunately.'

'Re…?' Hermione peeked at the crumpled parchment and frown. She looked uncertainly at the trembling Sirius and frozen James and tried to ease the tension. 'How'd you know how she calls him? There's not a single name in all these letters.'

' _Re, can we meet_? If that's not intimate enough…' Sirius closed his eyes. He didn't need to see to say it; it's engraved in his brain so deeply that these four words alone costed him a few nights of sleep thinking how Remus liked his nicknames, Moony or Re.

Hermione shook her head. 'No, that's not –'

'Found a solution yet?' The door to the Common Room slammed open, revealing a panting Remus, his charms textbook clutched in his hand. His smile disappeared at once when he saw his letters all over his bed and the floor, and Sirius standing like a ghost at the centre of the mess, facing away from him.

'Remus,' Lily broke the silence. 'You… you could've told us. It's alright if you made new friends –'

'What is it that made you lie?' Sirius cut Lily off, his voice strangely level and void of emotions. 'We accepted you, we played and pulled pranks and have been through all of this together, and you… you didn't even tell us …'

Remus said nothing. He straightened up; eyes downcast, he walked past Sirius and bumped into Hermione, who had come up besides the bed and whose eyes were on a newspaper on the very bottom of the stack of letter as realisation dawned upon her.

'Oh my God,' she breathed, her face ashen grey. 'It's him, isn't it? "Re" isn't Remus, but "reply", like those we use in mails –' she ignored the questioning gaze of others – 'so "re can we meet" actually means a reply to the topic "can we meet" –'

Remus gave no reply to Hermione's questioning, who became increasingly panicked as she went down her train of thought. 'How much do you know? Have long have you been –'

'So who is it that he's been talking to?' asked Sirius shrilly, his eyes red like there was fire burning in them.

Surprisingly, it was James who replied. 'You,' he said with a shiver as he too, eyed the newspaper with apprehension. 'Sirius Black, the escaped convict.'


	19. Truth and Lies

James's words reduced them to silence. Sirius's eyes widened in shock, a vein in his temple throbbed dangerously as if it might burst any second; Harry, Ron and Hermione were completely stunned as they exchanged glances of shock and fear.

'Must you say it in front of everyone, James?' Remus's voice rang brightly in the silent room. He looked grey and defeated, yet there was a steely touch to his voice that no one dared to contradict him. 'I have tried hard enough to pass it off as a harmless love letter, and you just let it all out.'

James took a step forwards. 'You can't hide it forever, Remus. He, and we all, have every right to know the truth.'

'I only wanted to protect him –'

'I don't need your protection!' Sirius snarled. He lunged at Remus and gripped his tie, pulling him towards him. 'Why, you think you're doing me a favour not telling me you're talking to myself so that in future my dirty criminal hands will not get back at you? I knew you love lying, but I didn't know you're actually more skilled at it than I thought –'

'Shut up, Sirius!' James shouted. He and Harry leapt behind Sirius and Remus respectively, pulling them apart. Seizing Sirius's hands, he wound them behind his back. 'I might not agree with Remus, but you didn't have to talk like a twat –'

'THAT'S ENOUGH!'

James and Sirius closed their mouths in unison. Looking alarmed, Harry released Remus as James pushed Sirius to his bed, forcing him to take a seat. Peter hurried to Remus's side and placed a comforting arm on the trembling boy, whose face was as red as a tomato and covered with sweat.

'No one is lying, but no one is going to hold back anything either,' said Lily, her voice shaky and hoarse at the same time. 'I think, now that we all know a piece of the truth, this is when we all be honest tell each other what we think has happened in the future.'

Harry raised a hand. 'Don't, Lily, you don't have to –'

'I know what I'm doing, Harry,' Lily's hands balled into fists. 'I assume that many of us have done our research in secret –' she shot a glance at James and Remus – 'but it seems that we all get different information. This… this not only concerns Sirius, but us all, you three included, and I'd like to clear it up once and for all. Why don't you go first, Remus?'

Remus bit his lips and stole a peek at Sirius, who refused to look at anyone at all but the floor. 'Sirius,' he said, trying hard not to let the immense sensation of hurt fall out. 'Sirius,' he called again, 'You're innocent. You didn't do what you were imprisoned for.'

Sirius stirred, but still he avoided eye contact.

'I first knew about it when Professor Sprout asked me to regrow my Sleepyberries. She gave me a newspaper to wrap the plant, and that piece was exactly what Hermione had refused to let us see that day after Harry became the Hogwarts champion.' He pointed at the newspaper on the floor. 'It introduces Harry's background, and that naturally includes what had happened to him. D'you remember you asking specifically what "The Boy Who Lived" meant, and that Skeeter claimed he entered the Tournament for his parents?'

'Harry is orphaned,' Lily offered an explanation as she turned to James and Sirius, and then Harry, her expression soft and eyes gleaming with tears. 'James and I were murdered by Voldemort when he was one. We sacrificed ourselves to protect him, and somehow, perhaps the curse rebounded, Voldemort was defeated by Harry, a defenceless baby.'

James stared at Lily, and she stared back. Both didn't speak, yet a million words seemed to have passed between them in just few seconds, pulling them closer than ever.

'After Voldemort's defeat, Harry was hailed as the saviour of the Wizarding World,' Remus continued. 'But at the same time, the Ministry was looking for the culprit that sold the Potters out. The Aurors caught… Sirius, who was at the time laughing madly and who was seen having blasted the whole street, killing twelve muggles at once –'

 _Thump._ The back of Sirius's ankle hit the bed he was sitting on.

'Listen to me, it's not what it seems,' said Remus a little too shrilly. 'I thought – I thought that was what happened too when I – read the news,' he panted, flashes of that horrible day coming back to him, washing him with terror, shock and hurt. He had felt like being stabbed by a dagger in the chest, eyes glassy and not really focusing on the paper before him. Interestingly though, a tiny part of him was in awe. Just like how he was constantly amazed by how Sirius and James pulled the most brilliant pranks, he'd felt just a little bit too smug that Sirius, his fellow Marauder, had hit the Ministry in the face and became the first person ever to have escaped Azkaban.

That had been a warm afternoon, yet the world had appeared gloomy and lifeless. He didn't understand why Sirius of all people would do that. Sirius, the golden boy, with whom he had shared his meals and clothes and toys and worries and joy; to whom he had entrusted his biggest secret of being a werewolf. He had remained probably his closest friend within the Marauders, yet it was this very boy that would grow up to betray his friends and sell them out to Voldemort. James, Lily, Peter – no one was spared.

The pretense was tiring. In the daytime, he forced his cheeks to contract and faked a smile. He laughed a bit too heartily, nudged Peter in the ribs a bit too roughly. He might have noticed Sirius stealing suspicious glances at him, but he ignored it.

Night was an even bigger nightmare. When the rest of the Marauders slept soundly, thinking it was just another adventure, Remus knew better. _It is serious business this time_ , part of him said, _this is what will happen in a few years. Three in this room will be murdered, one will end up in Azkaban, and the remaining one …_ His throat tightened. _Well, he is as good as dead._

When the bags under his eyes had become so big that even James noticed them – and when James noticed things it is really saying a lot – he shrugged it off, saying it was his transformations that had been bothering him. But there had been one particular evening in which he was no longer able to bottle his emotions. Having reached the breaking point, he stayed behind while the others went for dinner.

And then one thing changed everything: a letter. Remus remembered spreading out on his bed, a book on his chest, when he suddenly heard pecking on the window. A large, white owl had a scroll of parchment in its beak, perching on the frame of the window. He knew it was impossible that it was for the time travellers; they knew no one here. But why would the owl deliver the letter to the dormitory instead of the Great Hall, where currently everybody was in there dining?

 _Harry,_ it read, _I'm flying north immediately. The news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumours –_

He was going to fold up the parchment when his gaze landed on the bottom of it.

– _My best to Ron and Hermione._

 _Sirius_

His heart stopped. _Sirius_. It wasn't a common name; there couldn't be many more Siriuses in this world, not at this time and this close to Harry.

He quickly skimmed the letter. It was Sirius Black, his old friend, no doubt; he was in hiding after breaking out of Azkaban, writing to his godson. From the letter, it seemed that they had been corresponding for quite some time already, and Sirius was obviously very fond of Harry, Ron and Hermione. The question was, Harry wouldn't be communicating with Sirius if he knew what he had done; but apparently, he was aware of Sirius's situation as an escaped convict. Unless –

 _There is no 'unless'_ , Remus quickly stopped his train of thought. Still, he found himself unable to resist the temptation to dig deeper into it. He wanted to hold back, yet his hands, moving on their own, found his quilt, parchment, ink box, and started writing:

 _Hi Sirius_

Immediately, he drew a harsh line across it. There was no way it was going to reach the older Sirius like this. Running a hand through his hair, he started the letter again:

 _Dear_ _Sirius_ _Mr Black,_

 _This is Remus J. Lupin, your_ _old friend from Hogwarts_ _acquaintance from the past._ _It's okay if you don't remember me._ _I know it sounds very strange that you probably won't believe me, but hear me out. I am a time traveller from 1974 (I'm in fourth year). I read from the news about_ _the tragedy_ _the future_ _your current situation, and I must say that I was extremely shocked and sad to learn about the news, yet_ _Harry's letter_ _there's something that made me think maybe it's not what it seems._

For a split second, he wanted to ask if James and Lily were merely pulling a prank on them, pretending to be dead so that they could have a good laugh. But the logical part of his brain told him that it was impossible, and that it was just himself denying the truth about his friends.

A large ink spot started to form at the full stop where the nip of the quilt lingered on the parchment. It felt strange, writing to Sirius like that, who was probably having a good time bantering with James and Peter at the time. He wasn't even sure if he should send the letter out.

 _I completely understand if you do not want to talk about it._

 _Yours_ _Regards,_

 _Remus J. Lupin_

He regretted every bit of it after releasing the white owl back into the starless sky. Now that he'd sent a personal letter to a criminal, asking him to _explain himself_. How ridiculous! If Sirius hadn't bothered to defense himself at the trial, why would he confide to a childhood friend? If he did in fact kill James, Lily and Peter, why would he care to reply to an old acquaintance?

'Of course I didn't get any reply,' Remus murmured dreamily. He looked out the window, where the new moon hung, bathing the Hogwarts grounds in silver. 'But I… It's like I was possessed, I just, just kept sending letters like crazy. The first few letters pretty much revolved around… you know, but gradually, the letters became some sort of trivia,' Remus felt his cheeks redden. He was sure that the older Sirius had read them and knew about the boring lectures that Binns gave, about James and Sirius's banter, and Peter's intolerable snores at night, since he kept checking on the white owl, Hedwig, which flew away and returned with Sirius and Harry's correspondence every two weeks.

'I actually freaked out when I bumped into you at the Owlery,' Remus made a gesture towards Harry guiltily. He pledged that he'd be damned to Hell for intercepting Harry's letters, but inwardly he also argued that he only peeked at the sender and recipient, not the content. 'I thought you were going to confront me, but you only asked about James and Lily. To my great surprise, I got my first reply from him shortly after that, asking me to stop pestering him with notes and that he got what he deserved…'

'And then he told you the truth, well, maybe not all of it, I guess,' Hermione spoke for the first time since the truth was revealed. 'He never stops blaming himself, does he?' she sighed.

'Sirius,' said Harry firmly, getting up and walking to the bed where Sirius was sitting on. He put his hands on Sirius shoulders. 'You never did any of this. You were framed, the friggin Ministry wanted to placate the public, so they quickly brought you in without a trial. They didn't know they tarnished a gem, but I knew better. For me, you escaped Azkaban, found me here, and offered me a place to live. If it wasn't for… ' he gritted his teeth, finding his voice again, 'well, we'd be living together now. I've never been prouder of you. Mum and Dad too, I believe.'

'What else do I not know?' Sirius sounded strangled. He didn't push away Harry's hands, so Harry didn't move away.

'Peter and I walked in on Harry talking to you through the fire,' said James lightly. 'I never believed you would do something like this, not for a second. And I was right.'

'Nor did I,' Peter added, his head shaking violently.

'I said I'd never do it again that night after the Ball, and I didn't,' said Remus softly. 'What happened with Shirley Smith was too dangerous. Someone else could've got the letter and discovered the secret, so I stopped the whole business after that night. Plus, I don't care what happens anymore. You're still my best friend, Sirius, and that never changes.'

A sob escaped Sirius's throat.

'Let the future has its worries. What we have is now,' added Lily, her green eyes circling the room, resting briefly on every one of them before refocusing on Remus. They all nodded solemnly in agreement with Lily, completely enthralled by the magic of Time.

'I have a question,' James straightened up after wiping his face with his sleeves. His looked flustered and his nose a shade too red. 'Why do I never see a complete letter? I've always had my doubts. Snivellus wouldn't have put such great deal of effort on a letter unless it's something that aroused his suspicion. One never casts multiple revealing charms on a simple letter, let alone that slimeball.'

Remus sighed. 'He's close,' he flattened the crumpled letter on his palm, 'I had been praying every night that he wouldn't figure it out. Sirius is very clever.' Pointing his wand at the letter, he sang, very quietly:

 _'_ _One wolf, two deer, three Butterbeers;_

 _Four scarves, five Knuts, where's Paddy-dear?'_

It was an odd tune, like some sort of limericks and children's song mixed badly together just for a laugh. Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, were torn between wanting to burst out laughing and choking back tears. Words started to appear, spreading out from the centre of the parchment.

 _Re: can we meet_

 _It can be very dangerous for both of us. You know you can't change anything._

 _But YOU'LL NEED TO GO BACK SAFELY. Harry says there've been strange things happening, I'm not sure if this is about you lot coming back. Let me know if you find yourselves in danger. Absolutely no one, nothing, not even Merlin can stop me if you need help._

'You see, Sirius devised this,' said Remus, who could barely conceal the shakiness in his voice. It was the first time he read Sirius's reply as well, since the day on Christmas when he got the letter. 'It's a modified one-time revealing spell, so even if the letter falls into wrong hands, that person will never see the complete letter without the correct password. But since it's a one-time spell, and I've sent out so many letters, there has to be a simple title to indicate the content of the reply. Not too obvious but enough to let me know what it's about…'

'Wait, now we've got a problem,' said Hermione suddenly. Her face was white, and her hands were shaking slightly. She grabbed her satchel, promptly fishing out the Daily Prophet of the day before. Sirius and Remus groaned when they saw themselves squirming in the large picture on the front page under the hideous title 'LOVE OR HATE: HOGWARTS CHAMPION STEPPED IN BETWEEN COUPLE'.

' _Lupin made his final pledge saying that he'd be waiting under the yew tree near the Lake until she's willing to see him again,_ ' Hermione read out loudly. 'Don't you see the problem? You know Sirius best, don't you think now that it's on the Prophet, he'll be really waiting under the tree for Remus?'

Ron frowned. 'Sirius knows better than anyone that this is just Skeeter making up things. He won't fall for this whole lot of crap.'

Hermione shook her head adamantly. 'Just think about it. Sirius has always been… efficient, sometimes reckless even,' she glanced at the younger Sirius apologetically, whose head jerked up at once at the mention of him. 'And you guys coming back is a one-in-a-zillion miracle where he can redeem himself, or simply, see you again. Now there's a legitimate reason for him to do that. Do you think he'll give this chance up easily?'

'You're right,' Harry stood up from the bed, a look of horror started to creep up his cheeks. 'He'd rather die than leaving his friends in danger. He'll jump right in, even if he knows nine out of ten it's probably just Skeeter making up lies. He won't let you get hurt, however small the chance is '

'I'll go check the tree,' Remus grabbed his cardigan and scarf. 'It's all caused by my carelessness. I'll make sure the spot is clear.'

'I'll go too,' James strode boldly across the room to the door, getting his invisibility cloak by the cupboard, at the same time pressing a beanie into Remus's hands. 'You'll need my cloak to sneak out. It's near curfew. And if he does appear I'll cover him with my cloak.' He held up a hand to stop Lily and Harry going over. 'You all stay behind to work on water magic. We've rested enough for an evening, and we've only got less than ten hours before Harry starts his task tomorrow.'

 **A/N: I intended the password to Remus's letters as some joke they made in around 7th year when James and Lily started dating ( the older Sirius is reminiscing), so the emotional impact on the time travellers is not as great as it is on the trio. I was thinking it's the old trick Sirius used on their map, but again, the map hasn't been created at the time, so the Marauders didn't work it out. Maybe they are inspired and go back to 1974 and make it the map's passcode, haha, idk.**


	20. Guiding Light

**A/N: Hi, long time no see! I had been busy and a writer's block got in my way. I hope this turns out the way I wanted.**

Sirius blinked; his eyelids were heavy like lead. The string of words on the page he was reading floated and swirled like a snake, making him dizzy and confused as to what they actually meant.

On the other side of the room, Lily and Peter were still reading diligently (though with difficulty) in dim candlelight after the Gryffindor trio left before curfew. It was probably way past midnight, yet they refused to rest as long as there was still time before the task on the next day.

Sirius's eyes swept the surroundings. It was unusual, not having James and Remus by his side; and for the first time since he went to Hogwarts he was actually reading silently with Lily Evans and Peter… _Don't think about Lupin and Potter_ , Sirius shut down his thought sullenly –they could've told him. Remus could've told him he was communicating with a strange man – he was rather reluctant to see that as himself –instead of inventing some trick to hide it from _him_. James could've informed him of his encounter with the older Sirius, not hid it and did his secret research. _But what could they have done instead?_ A small part of him reasoned. It's not like he was the biggest victim; Harry was the living proof.

There Peter's head slowly sank between his arms, landing on _The Magical Water_ with a soft 'thump'. Lily's red hair reflected the golden firelight, and Sirius was starting to see why his best friend was so hopelessly in love with the fierce lass. With a blinding flash, the redheaded girl and puffy boy became redheaded woman and medium-built young man. They were smiling and hugging, a chubby baby held firmly by the woman. There came another two men, one with round frame glasses, the other with hair the colour of straw. They stood, the sky tainted with bright red of the sinking sun, the trees rustling in the autumn wind…

Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck like a sword, separating the man with brown hair from the rest, while the others disappeared into thin air… The man shouted and tumbled, his hair rapidly turning grey, his back arching… _Wait_ , Sirius wanted to say, but words became steam and no sound came out, so he made a move to grab him –and then he felt himself falling … and falling…

'Master Sirius!' somebody squeaked, and Sirius felt his shirt being pulled and tugged. 'Wake up, Master Sirius!'

Sirius's eyes fluttered open to a small face with a pointy nose and two eyes the size of a table tennis, which were teary and full of fear.

'Master Sirius, y-you must come with Pinky now,' said the house elf unsteadily. 'Here, eat this – Dobby says it works –'

'What?' said Sirius as he scrambled up from the chair he was sitting on. It fell backwards with a 'BAM', rousing Lily and Peter, who looked at him with bleary eyes.

'It's Gillyweed, the plant you got from Professor Snape's office,' Pinky shoved something slippery into his hands. He held it up close to the window where sunlight filtered through – it must have been early morning already – and saw that it was a bundle of deep green seaweed-like leafy structure. 'Master Remus and – and Master James are in the lake – they will drown if the spell is broken –'

' _The Lake_?' Lily's hand shot to her mouth. She pushed through the books and rushed to Pinky's side with Peter following. They put on their robes and scarves shakily, Sirius feeling his bottom drop out of his stomach with each second passing.

'I petrified them before they fell – but it was a l-loose one–' Pinky was wheezing uncontrollably as she pelted down the stairs, ' – I only had a second to react so it was badly cast –will wear off anytime –'

'Why did they fall?' Lily pressed her robes tightly her so it wouldn't be blown away as she ran. 'They should've been waiting for Sirius –'

'But they… were waiting under… the yew tree!' Peter panted. His face was flushed red in the cold and as a result of running. 'The yew tree is… on the back shore of the lake…'

'Come quickly!' Pinky darted to the spot where the yew tree stood. A few steps away the water of the Great Lake was as still as a glass sheet, reflecting the dull sky where sunlight managed to spill out between dense clouds. As peaceful as it seemed, Merlin knows what lied under the water where their friends were at right now.

'Why –' Sirius was saying when Lily interrupted him.

'No time for explanation,' said Lily, her eyes strangely bright. 'Let's get down as quickly as possible. If the lake will be used for the task, it must be more dangerous than usual. The only good thing is as long as they remain a stone, they are immobile and safe from drowning.'

'I think,' Peter swallowed, 'only one of us should go down. We don't know what there are in the lake…'

'Are you saying we should leave them behind?' Sirius snarled at Peter, the only thing he felt was blood running through his veins. 'They are –they're James and Remus! How could you –'

'No, no, listen,' Peter gesticulated wildly, his face was white as a sheet because of fear and worry. 'The practical reality is, I don't think there's…' he indicated Sirius's hands, '…enough Gillweedy for all of us. And for safety's sake at least one should be here for backup using a tracing spell. Like, in case the one down there gets hurt or whatever…'

'One of us should fetch Dumbledore,' said Lily loudly, effectively subduing Peter. 'It's serious and dangerous, we need an adult –'

'Are you mad?' Sirius stamped on the floor. His eyes were blood red, and he could spit out fire any second. 'James and Remus went to see… _him_ , and you're saying that we should fetch Dumbledore? How do we explain this? What if they get him again?'

'We lie, if we must come to it,' Lily gritted her teeth.

'Let's see how it goes before we fetch him,' said Peter as he gripped his wand instinctively. 'There's no need to get him if we can handle this alone. Exposing Sirius is no less dangerous than rescuing James and Remus!'

'No! –'

Sirius was having none of it. He must go down as soon as he could; he had no time to plan or talk or whatsoever. Ignoring Peter and Lily, he stuffed half of the Gillyweed into his mouth, leaving half of it in case of emergency. Pinky, his helpful friend back in the 70s, needed no further instructions. She snapped her fingers, casting elf magic on Sirius so that she could track him.

At once he felt his lungs were devoid of air as if all of it had been pumped out of his system. He tried to inhale, but a piercing pain at either side of his neck caused him to bend over, and to his horror, there were webs starting to form between his fingers and toes. He heard Lily and Peter gasp, but the lack of oxygen rendered him unable to produce a single coherent thought and drove him by his instinct – which was to dive right into the water –

The lake was cold, black and still. Perhaps it was so because this was the backside of the lake where even the Marauders didn't explore it fully, Sirius was as good as stepping into an entirely new universe.

He fumbled for his wand from the pocket, holding onto it for dear life since it was his only connection to the human world above the water. ' _Lummmrrsr_ ,' he said, but instead of _'Lumos'_ , a string of bubbles came out from his mouth, and the incantation became extremely muffled. Strangely, the wand seemed to understand him, for it lit up instantly, a flicker of white light in the darkness of the lake.

His vision started to recover in the light. Through the opaque water, he could make out vaguely the uneven landscape under him, where forests of rippling weeds grew and glimmering stones lay, and it seemed to go on forever, stretching into eternity. Once or twice large groups of small fishes darted through him, but other than that there was no sign of life.

He swam deeper into the lake, coming face to face with the forest of black weed. The weed was as tall was a full-grown man, swaying and tangling in the muddy water. It was very difficult to move – he had to make sure the tentacles of the weed didn't coil around his limbs, while at the same time holding his wand and propelling himself forward. If Remus and James were petrified, they must sink to the very bottom of the lake. Sirius stared unblinkingly ahead, knowing full well that all he had to do was to search the floor, inch by inch…

'If I were you I'd look at that bit,' suddenly a lazy voice said in his ear. This gave him a heart attack that that Sirius gulped down a large mouthful of water despite being temporarily a water creature. He whipped around, his wand erect and ready to attack.

'Regulus!' Sirius's open mouth was even wider. Another big bubble issued from his mouth as he shouted and lake water displaced the space in his lungs.

'Sirius,' the young black-haired boy regarded him calmly. He was a very strange entity in the lake; unaffected by the water currents, he glided through water as smoothly as a dolphin, his Slytherin robes billowing as though carried by a slight breeze. Apart from being semi-transparent, he looked the same otherwise – the signature high cheekbones like his brother's, the unfathomable sea-grey eyes, the aristocratic features. He was as handsome and neat as ever: the model son of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

'You look like a jelly,' still too shocked to process the current situation, this childish remark was the first thing that came to Sirius's mind. But as he shook his head clear, a fire started to burn in him: 'what are you doing here, you brat! This is the sodding Great Lake! What will dear Mother say? " _Oh poor Reggie is corrupted by his blood traitor brother_!"'

'I _am_ the Lake,' replied Regulus in a plain, serene manner as he fixed his cuffs idly. His voice was very odd; it was muffled like it was projected from far away, but not in the way like how Sirius was slurring because water kept entering his lungs.

'I seem to remember you were just a tree yesterday,' said Sirius caustically. Somehow his brother's composure irritated him even further. He didn't ask why he was here; after learning about the fate of the Potters and himself, nothing really surprised him anymore. Maybe Regulus followed him into the future, maybe this _was_ Regulus in the future. Anyway, he didn't care. Or at least he told himself so.

As undecipherable as his words came out to be, Regulus seemed to understand him well. He studied his fingernails lazily and only half-glanced at Sirius when he finished choking out bundles of bubbles.

'If you are looking for Potter and Lupin, you'd better be quick,' said Regulus. Without waiting for Sirius's reply, he started moving forwards, very lightly, and very elegantly.

'Spoilt little prig,' Sirius mumbled under his breath. But he too, used his webbed hands and feet, and started to swim. For a long time, none of them spoke. They simply swam, with Regulus in front, and Sirius following a few feet behind. Regulus appeared to know the way extremely well; he led Sirius past a group of terrifying-looking, sharp, jutting corals, ducked away from jarring rocks, and through a stone cave that had an opening so secluded that Sirius would've surely missed it had he been alone. At last they stopped on a platform where bushes of rainbow-coloured sea plants grew and swayed.

'What now?' asked Sirius impatiently. Their last encounter had not been pleasant; it was before Sirius came to the future when they bumped into each other in the corridor. There had been snide comments and nasty hexes, and Sirius was annoyed that Regulus had so far been silent about the whole thing. He hated it when his verbal attacks went nowhere.

'There're in there,' Regulus turned his whole body to face Sirius fully. Maybe it was the muddy water, maybe Sirius had grown tired staring and looking for so long, it seemed to him that Regulus was becoming more transparent and less solid. 'All you have to do is to go past the bushes and take them back.'

'You hate water,' Sirius remarked all of a sudden. 'You nearly drowned when you were eleven, and Mother has since banned you from nearing any water-containing object.'

A small smile started to play on Regulus's lips. 'Mother will never know.'

Sirius shrugged and turned back to the bushes in front. He studied them closely: they looked way more welcoming than their dark, monocoloured companions up in the shallower regions. The way they waved was soothing; Sirius felt his eyelids droop slowly.

'Your light will guide you to where your heart lies,' said Regulus again, his voice even more faraway than it already was. 'Just like how it guided me.'

'What?' Sirius turned around confusedly. But there was no one: he was surrounded by water and rocks and corals and seaweed; Regulus was gone.

* * *

Taking a deep breath (essentially it only meant his gills got wider), Sirius paddled towards the colouful bushes and slipped in. Once he was through the front bush, he found himself in a corridor as the bushes grew on either side of him, leaving a narrow way forward. He held his wand in his mouth, the _Lumos_ spell on, and clutched the stems of the plants to help himself move. The corridor coiled and twisted as if it was inside a spiral-shaped labyrinth. Sirius advanced like this for a good ten minutes before a syrupy, ringing melody caught him:

 _'We know of all the sorrows in the wide old land,_

 _From that of the maiden's, the tree's, the sand's…'_

It was beautifully sung yet at the same time haunting coming from the depth of the lake. Sirius swam faster, his heart pounding. It would be a lie to say that the thought of Regulus deceiving him had never occurred to him; but as doubtful as he was, Sirius trusted his instincts that Regulus was really helping him.

 _'We know all things that come to breed the fruitful earth,_

 _So dear child, lo and behold –and here comes your mirth!'_

A final twist of the corridor led into a stone dwelling where a mermaid-like creature sat. She was very pretty; her long blonde hair rippled in the water currents, glowing and radiating warm light around her. Her skin was creamy white as it stretched over her curvy body until her waist under which blue scales gleamed on a large fish tail.

She tilted her head and smiled – and Sirius felt his hair rise. The whole of her eyes were crystal blue without the normal white part, and her teeth were sharper than daggers. She lifted an arm – instead of fingers it ended with what looked like fins – and pointed to her left.

Sirius screamed.

A much older Remus was sitting against a rock, his hair mingled with silver. A thin cape with holes and frayed hems was draped over him, but it was obvious that the effect it had was minimal for he was shaking for warmth, his face deadly white. In front of him lay James, and he was only recognisable to Sirius because of his glasses and unruly hair. His face was a mash of meat and blood, large, deep gashes cut horizontally across his chest.

Suddenly, a man who Sirius knew it must be himself materialised behind James's body. His normally tamed hair was matted with dirt, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He leapt across James and over to the other side of the dwelling.

'No!' Sirius shouted as he wheeled around.

Within the few second of his leap, the Sirius covered with dirt and blood morphed into a handsome young man, probably just a few years older than Sirius was now. Another James emerged: he grabbed the handsome Sirius's arms and laughed.

'Honestly, it's so much better here, mate,' said James. 'I'd rather be here than go up and die.'

The handsome Sirius clapped him on the back, a familiar gesture to the duo. 'You know, I'll do anything in my power to save you. Anything.'

Sirius stopped screaming, completely enthralled by their interaction. It was true, wasn't it, if he could prevent James's death. What if…

And then Remus appeared. He was happier and healthier than Sirius had ever seen him: the scars on his face faded to a whitish colour, and Sirius had to squint to see them. He had never seen Remus without scars; this was a new scene to look at. Enchanted, Sirius swam closer…

Remus said something and giggled, his two friends beside him nodded and laughed, but Sirius couldn't hear him. So he swam another foot…

Remus and James beckoned him to come over, still laughing heartily at whatever that Remus just said. Sirius was vaguely aware of the sharp, chiseled edges of the stone projections behind them, of the possibility that he might hit them head-on and become skewered all over, of the growing smile of the mermaid… But he was desperate to know what Remus had said, and wanted to get away from the horrible scene on the other side as far away as possible… The mermaid started singing again, this time a chant, beautiful, eerie, yet unrecognisable…

Sirius's hand slipped into the pocket of his robes, unexpectedly touching a scorching object. In a split second, the rational part of him screamed ' _danger_ ' and pulled him out of the mermaid's chant, and Regulus's last words surfaced out of his previous confusion –

' _CALEFACIO!_ ' Sirius shouted at the top of his lungs, his fingers closing around the object- the Galleon that he and Remus each kept. ' _CALEFACIO! CALEFACIO!_ '

The heating charm took effect immediately. Golden light emitted by the magic Galleon spilled out from his robes into the water, and all over the dark dwelling like a blazing giant network. At the very bottom of the rocky dwelling, a similar golden dot lit up in harmony with the Galleon in Sirius's hands, and in the blinding light, Sirius could see that was Remus carrying another magic Galleon in petrified form with James lying at his side, an arm still extended in front of his chest –

Sirius shot himself across and grabbed them. They were extremely heavy, but Sirius didn't feel it; he hauled them, one with each arm, and returned to the opening of the clearing at the speed of lightning bolts as if his life depended on it –

He swam and swam and swam, his legs moved like motors, plunging himself away from the mermaid and the colourful bushes. He didn't feel how numb he was until he was out of the forest of black weed, the weight of two stone statues pulling him down…

Then the piercing pain hit him. At first it was just the two sides of his jaw, then his head, and then his chest; the webs between his fingers and toes were rapidly reclining, taking away his last fish-like features. Pangs of pain started at his lungs as water galloped down his throat, the air being displaced formed a million small bubbles around him –

 _No, no, no, no, no,_ thought Sirius hopelessly. _Just a few more metres, just a few more kicks …_ But his whole body was aching and limp. He was unable to move any longer, and Remus and James was sinking and yanking him down. His vision was blurred, and his nose was flushed numb by the water… And before his last sense of consciousness escaped him, before his arm became completely limp, he flicked his wand.

* * *

Two stone statues sank to the lake bed. One with a glowing Galleon embedded within the first layer of the stone, its arm intertwined with the arm of the new statue that joined it. The other arm of the new statue was outstretched through the tangle of shoulder-length hair, a look of desperation, hopelessness and doom written on its face, which was so handsome that not even the greyish colour of stone could mar its beauty. The glowing Galleon echoed its companion, though very far above, which was surfacing the lake as its holder slowly regained consciousness from his stone form and kicked as he choked.

A fish swam by without turning, uninterested.

 **A/N: I know I am being a little cryptic here I just wanted to clarify that it was James who came out of the lake at last, while Sirius and Remus sank. It will be explained in the next chapter.**


	21. The Hospital Wing

The last thing Sirius remembered was James's body, no longer stone but flesh, slowly floating towards the water surface, away from danger, and away from him. He was very sorry to have put James in the depth of the lake when he needed a bed and remedy potions most; he watched James choke and struggle for air but he knew that, in the end, James would be safe. Peter and Lily were waiting for him. The world was waiting for him. Sirius only prayed that James would reach the surface before his breath ran out so that he would be safe from the water and in turn, come back to look for him and Remus.

It was a very hard decision to make – he had to choose which one or two out of the three of them to save. He could've dropped James and Remus and come back after a second ingestion of Gillyweed, but he knew that the longer they were in water, the more danger they would face, not to mention the petrification spell that Pinky cast could lose its effect any moment. He could've moved just one of them first, but that would mean leaving either one in the dark of the lake, which was the last thing he wanted.

But there was no time for him to decide. As his gills disappeared, he was even more vulnerable than James and Remus in stone form, but there was still a significant distance between his current location and the water surface. It was clear to him that there was no way he could make it in time…

 _But maybe they could_ , the last functioning cells in Sirius before he drowned whispered. _There's a way…_

His eyeballs slid listlessly to the side. In between blurred and clear visions as his lens managed to focus, the two Galleons that guided him and dispelled evil glowed against the dark, one shining through Remus's stone robes, one in his hand.

'The Galleons will lead them to us,' he murmured. 'They _will_.'

A swish of his wand lifted the petrification spell on James, and with another flick, he cast it upon himself and slipped the Galleon into James's pocket. As the stone-turning spell crept up his feet, to his trunk, and to his arms, freezing him gradually, the gagging sensation and pain eased. It was almost a relief, like dying.

'Good luck, Jamesie-boy.'

Then blackness enveloped him.

* * *

White ceilings, later afternoon sunlight, drawn-up curtains, soft speaking voices.

'He woke!'

There was loud cheering and then someone shook him gently.

'Master Sirius! Master Sirius!' A little hand squeezed his. Sirius blinked wearily as Pinky's small face came into focus. 'Oh Master Sirius, thank Merlin you've come back unharmed… ' Large tears rolled out of glassy big eyes, and Sirius just wanted to comment that there was some leaf-like thingy attached to her eyelashes. 'Pinky is so sorry, Pinky should've had let Master Sirius go down alone…'

'Oh,' Sirius remembered. The Lake, the mermaid, the Galleon; he sat up abruptly and snapped his head left and right, only let out a cry of joy when he saw James and Remus each lying on a bed on either side of him. And then he widened his eyes when he saw Lily on the bed across from his, who smiled tiredly, her face slightly too ghastly and hair dripping with water. Peter was originally sat between James and Sirius; he spun around and immediately conjured a glass of water for him.

Just as he wanted to ask what had happened, the door to the wing was spun open by no other than Albus Dumbledore.

'Headmaster,' Pinky bowed at the old man, who returned a polite smile at the elf, thought it did not reach his eyes. 'I asked Pinky to let me know as soon as you woke up,' he explained. 'Sorry if it came as a surprise, but there is some serious business that I need to discuss with you. Pinky, if you please.'

The elf climbed up on a couch that Dumbledore had conjured. 'It started when Pinky was cleaning at the kitchen after dinner. Pinky was mopping the window, and suddenly, I saw two familiar figures running towards the Great Lake. Pinky's been at Hogwarts since the Masters were here, and Pinky could say – no offence – that some trouble was bound to happen.'

'So Pinky decided to follow them because the Great Lake was a dangerous zone to walk at during the Tournament, that Professor McGonagall had warned us elves about. It was Masters James and Remus. They stopped under the yew tree at the back shore of the Lake, and they looked like they wanted to stay there all night, so Pinky stayed as well –' she shot a frightened glance towards Dumbledore, who smiled at her encouragingly, ' – until something went very wrong. Someone in a black robe jumped out of a bush behind them all of a sudden, a wand almost sticking up Master James's throat. It happened so fast that I was not prepared to think of better ways. Had it not been the delay, Masters James and Remus would have…'

'And what caused the delay?' asked Dumbledore kindly, his piercing blue eyes never leaving the elf.

'Pinky didn't catch that, Pinky is sorry,' she lowered her head. 'It gave out what sounded like a growl, but Pinky isn't sure. It appeared almost as the same time as I did, and apparently, the person in black robe saw it too. He was caught off-guard, and perhaps he panicked, he dropped the Masters into the Lake and fired a spell at Pinky and that thing. Pinky dodged it, but had only enough time to petrify Masters Remus and James before they sank.'

'What about the other creature?' asked Sirius desperately.

'Pinky didn't see it,' she shook her head. 'It disappeared.'

Dumbledore looked grave. He stroked his beard repeatedly, but his mind was obviously somewhere else.

'Please tell us what happened to you, Mr Black,' Dumbledore gestured towards Sirius after a while.

So Sirius told them about the lake. He deliberately left out the bits about what the mermaid conjured; it was too painful to recall, not when the people concerned were right here in the same room as him.

'Somehow, Pinky's tracking spell was lost after about an hour,' Lily picked up from where Sirius left off. 'And the next minute, we saw James struggling in the water. He held a glowing Galleon, and told us it's got a twin and was possibly in Sirius's possession. We knew he was in trouble then, but the Gillyweed we had was only enough for one more person.'

'So you took it,' Sirius looked at Lily right in the eye. Suddenly her tiredness and dripping wed hair made sense.

'I did,' she said simply. 'It wasn't easy to locate where you were, but since James came out alive, it made sense that where he was de-petrified wasn't a deep region. So with the help of the glowing Galleon, I found you and Remus.'

'Meanwhile,' said Dumbledore, 'Mr Pettigrew came to me and asked for help, just when I was planning to return to the castle from the Tournament. It was very lucky that he ran here. I would've been gone already had he arrived later.'

'What about the Task?' James interjected as Dumbledore's words jogged his memory. 'How's Harry? Did he …?'

'Harry did an excellent job,' Dumbledore smiled, this time he seemed truly impressed. 'It showed that, not only was he a very competent Hogwarts champion, but also a kind-hearted boy. Maybe he'll tell you more about it when he comes.'

James cried out proudly, and Lily looked relieved.

'While we indulge in the joy of Harry's success, there is one thing that I would like to draw your attention to,' the Headmaster's former grave air resumed. 'Mr Lupin, may I ask why you and Mr Potter were out of the castle after curfew?'

It was very clever of him not to address James but Remus instead. Through years of mischief making, Sirius had discovered that Remus had the tendency to give in to his conscience and tell the truth when they were caught. Not that he was incapable of lying; in fact, he was an excellent liar; yet his very weakness what that he was susceptible to guilt.

James shot a pleading glance at Remus, who was holding a level gaze with the Headmaster. 'I wanted to have some fresh air. It was too stuffy inside.'

'So you went out with Mr Potter to the shore of the Lake, when the whole of Hogwarts ground was, I believe, open to your access?'

'Yes,' Remus looked down at his hands, remorse clearly visible on his face. 'I shouldn't have asked James along.'

'Why not Mr Black?' Dumbledore asked calmly. Remus's cheeks coloured a little. 'Or Mr Pettigrew?'

'I – I, I had something to talk to James about,' he blinked rapidly. 'Something, you know, concerning my… relationship. So Sirius couldn't come.'

James's mouth formed an 'o' shape, while Dumbledore seemed to be regarding Remus with a knowing glance.

'I see,' the old man's expression betrayed nothing. 'Nonetheless, this is a very important issue that concerns all of you, no matter what your reason for breaking curfew was,' said Dumbledore. 'It has occurred to me that this was an unnatural event. And by unnatural I meant it was planned and targeted specifically at you.'

'How come?' James cried. 'It was a spontaneous decision! Unless you're saying we're under constant surveillance?'

'It's unlikely, given we have placed anti-surveillance spells around the school cast by myself,' replied Dumbledore calmly. 'But it is possible. Or, more likely, we have Death Eaters breaking in and lurking around the school.'

Peter gasped. 'You don't mean…'

'This might not even be a recent event,' admitted Dumbledore somberly. 'I have more than one reason to believe that the attacker didn't just break in yesterday. Therefore, from now on, you must not wander in the castle in non-lesson times. You must return to _this_ makeshift dormitory immediately after class while your professors accompany you on your way back. All activities not held in classroom or the dormitory, like Hogsmeade trips, the Third Task, will not in any way involve you, doing research for the contestant included,' Dumbledore said as he fixed them with a pointed look.

'But Harry –' Sirius protested.

'Your status as time travellers renders you extremely dangerous, if I have to be blunt,' Dumbledore raised his voice, not in the way like he was screaming, but rather like he used a _Sonorus_ that magnified his voice. 'Dangerous in the sense that any changes occurred to you will affect all of us in the current world, and possibly, history itself. Even if Harry suffers any harm during the Task, you are not allowed to go to him but stay in the dorm. I'm sorry.'

The Marauders and Lily looked at each other, a cloud of doom loomed over them. Even after Harry, Ron and Hermione's visit, the doomed feeling was only more stifling than before.

* * *

Peter returned to the Room of Requirement just before curfew(accompanied by Madame Pomfrey), Lily and James fell asleep soon after he left. As tired as Sirius was, something was bugging him at the back of his mind. The whole afternoon, Remus had not spoken directly to him, save for polite exchanges and gestures of gratitude. Sirius supposed that meant nothing; after all being turned into a stone was not entirely a pleasant experience.

He turned, while lying on his back, and was surprised to see that he was not the only one awake.

'Moony?'

Remus jumped. 'What?'

'You've been awfully quiet.'

'Tired,' said Remus. He didn't sound like lying.

'There's something on your mind,' Sirius remarked. 'I've known you since first year. You look like when we asked where you went after the full moon before we figured out your furry little problem.'

Remus fidgeted with the hem of his nightshirt. He remained silent for a full minute before deciding to reply. 'If,' his face was buried in the shadow so that it was very hard to see his expressions, 'you could choose again, would you still choose James over yourself?'

'Yes,' Sirius said slowly, but firmly. 'James is my brother. I'd die for him a million times over.'

'James is lucky to have you in his life,' said Remus quietly. 'Not many people are willing to sacrifice themselves for others. He deserves it.'

Sirius could hear the smile in his voice, however small it was. 'He does,' he grinned, but then he thought of Harry, and his smile disappeared. 'I only hope that, while he… still has time, I'll do anything… anything at all for him. He's got Lily and Harry. They need more time together.'

Remus nodded somberly. Neither spoke for a long time, for Remus continued to play with his shirt as if there were suddenly runes on it that demanded his immediate attention, while Sirius's gaze landed on James, and then Lily across the other side of the wing. Night was still and quiet, the only thing they could hear was the occasional buzzing and humming of bugs outside the window.

Suddenly, a new understanding dawned upon him. 'He's got Lily and Harry waiting for him,' Sirius whispered into the night. The lake rescue was an act out of pure instinct; he never thought about the reasons behind – it proved that he was willing to do anything in exchange for James and in extension, for Lily and Harry. Yet somehow, he figured out there was more to it. 'But you, you would be lonely in the lake. Even if you had to be a statue in the lake forever, at least you'd have me by your side.'

Remus turned very slowly. 'How d'you mean?'

'I never told you what happened with the mermaid,' said Sirius, his voice wavering a little as he recalled the events in the cave. 'I saw you, cold and shivering after what probably was a full moon. Then I saw James, lying on the floor… d…' he could never bring himself to say 'dead.' 'But then,' he spoke shakily even after the pace of his breath evened, 'I was thinking, is living really any better than dying when all you have is gone?'

'Maybe –'

'Don't you understand, Moony?' Sirius's throat tightened. 'James and Lily were gone when Harry was one. Peter too. And I… as good as dead. Harry is thirteen this year. There were twelve years in between. Don't you understand? _Twelve years_. A hundred and forty-four full moons. What would you have done to yourself without us? What would I have left without memories of you? Wha–'

'You escaped, and I've always been transforming like this,' Remus cut him off, as if he could no longer bear to hear the rest of Sirius's sentence. Sirius could see his fists curled and uncurled through the sheen of tears in his eyes. 'Besides, werewolves rarely live past the age of thirty if they don't let themselves loose like Greyback,' he said, almost too stiff and rational for Sirius's liking.

'Don't tell me you've never noticed we are up to something behind your back,' Sirius bit back a shout. He would have been screaming already if they were not at the Hospital Wing at midnight. 'You said there was no cure –'

'There isn't,' said Remus vehemently.

'I don't deny it,' Sirius snapped and looked around furtively, hoping he had not roused James and Lily. He was feeling the beginning of a headache; they had been on this so many times before that it had not been brought up for a fair amount of time. 'But you never open up yourself to any alternatives! You never believe we can help you! Do you really think we came to the future for nothing, now that I'm telling you this after it's been kept secret since we started practising?'

'How?' Remus's tone was icy, but Sirius could tell there was a spark of fire under the ice.

'Werewolves only attack humans, but never other animals. We'll be those animals, and in fact, we're almost there. Soon we'll be joining your transformation and keep you from hurting yourself – no, I don't want to put up a fight in the dead of night about how illegal and unwise this is,' Sirius held up a hand and smiled bitterly, 'on the contrary, I have never been more motivated after knowing that we'll not be around for long.'

'But it _is_ illegal, and extremely dangerous,' Remus whispered, his expression flickering between extreme surprise, happiness and sadness.

'The future tells us that we didn't die from Animagus transformation,' said Sirius wryly. 'And if you're worried we'd be caught… Well, I already did.'

Remus's chest rose and fell heavily. Light and shadow danced on his brown curls as slight trembles took over him.

'I just think,' Sirius's tongue felt very numb, 'if you have to suffer all alone, then I'd suffer with you. We're already the only ones left in the future, and… and if because of me, you ended up being a statue in this world, then I'd become one, too.'

Remus bit down on his lip as colour started to taint his wan cheeks. 'Sirius…'

'I'd die for James,' Sirius stared down at his own hands, his voice barely a whisper that he wasn't sure if he was talking to Remus or himself, 'but I'd die with you.'

The buzzing outside the window grew louder; occasionally there was a distant bark of dogs, or a roar of unknown creatures from the Forbidden Forest. Sirius did not usually like quietness, but now he was grateful for it with three of his beloved friends (Lily included) lying beside him. Just as he wondered whether Remus had fallen asleep already, there came an almost imperceptible sigh from the other boy's bed.

'I'll remember that.'

And with that, Sirius drifted off.

 **A/N : I was inspired to write 'I'll Remember That', a very short fic which revolves around this particular quote:**

 **" 'I'd die for James,' Sirius stared down at his own hands, his voice barely a whisper that he wasn't sure if he was talking to Remus or himself, 'but I'd die with you.' "**

 **This is not necessarily a sequel, just a spur of emotions when Muse struck. Appreciate if you could check it out ;)**


	22. Snape and Trelawney

They were released after another night in the Hospital Wing, but none of them felt really better, if not worse. For the first time since they came here, the Marauders felt the real threat of danger. It was no longer fun and games, but a gamble of life and death.

'Should we warn Sirius?' James was pacing back and forth by the fireplace. Although he just survived an attack, the thought of talking to the older Sirius never left him. He supposed that looking after Sirius for his dead counterpart in this universe was the best he could do. 'That he shouldn't stay near?'

Remus replied after a moment of hesitance. 'I've stopped writing to him since Christmas.'

'But it's Sirius!' James scratched his chin for the thirteenth time in the morning although he was not feeling itchy at all. 'Say, we could…'

'Don't,' Lily interrupted, her green eyes flickering. 'We are now already marked, and more letters would only further expose Sirius and us. Besides,' she glanced at the young Sirius who stood next to Peter, a shadow passing through his face, 'I trust that he is smart enough to avoid this area, if… well, after all, he didn't show up even after Skeeter's report. He's probably not as, say, hot-headed as he was before.'

'How do you know he wouldn't come today? Or tonight? Tomorrow?' James insisted. It wasn't that he couldn't see Sirius grow up to become cautious and clear-headed, just that he had a feeling that he would come, however dangerous the situation was.

'Oh, Potter,' Lily pinched her nose bridge. 'If anything, Harry has probably written to him about the Tournament and us, so he might already know. I can't believe you missed the point that anything happens to us will directly affect the older Sirius, but not the other way round. I trust that he can protect himself. _I have faith in him_ ,' she paused for emphasis, 'don't you?'

James looked at Sirius, whose eyes were locked with his, and nodded.

The teenagers acted like they were placated for the rest of the day, but the Sirius Problem was never truly lifted off their shoulders, at least not for James. Not a day went by that he did not worry about Sirius, both the younger and older ones, he realised. Still, he enjoyed the moment he had with Harry, Ron and Hermione. The time travellers had heard how Harry completed the second task, getting help from Dobby (who in turn told Pinky about the Gillyweed) and rescuing Ron as well as Gabrielle Delacour despite the life-threatening situation he was in. When James stole a look at Lily, he had seen her looking at him and smiled. There had been joy dancing in her eyes.

But life went on in all dimensions. Even for Harry, class had returned to its original routine after the second task, though under Dumbledore's new arrangement, the time travellers had to stay behind every time for their teachers to pick them up, so mealtime was truly the only time they could spend with Harry and make the most of it.

'I miss Mum's candies,' said Peter wistfully one morning, watching the owls carrying packages, Daily Prophet subscriptions and letters coming in under the morning sun. A barn owl soared through the window and past the tables, crashing into Ron's plate of baked beans and spilling pumpkin juice all over the table.

Crimson flooded Ron's pale cheeks as Harry picked up the letter attached to the owl's feet. 'Whose bloody owl –!'

'Oi, careful there mate,' Peter shooed the owl away, feeling thankful that the owl missed his beans and sausages. 'Been a while since someone sent a letter, eh?'

'Just a greeting card from Mrs Weasley,' said Harry, already folding up the parchment and tucked it into his robes. 'She asked about the second task and Ron. Give him a hand, if he needs it, that lot.'

Ron made a peevish grunt. 'No wonder she sends it to you.'

Remus gave him a curious look. 'You don't recognise your own owl?'

'They have a houseful of owls,' said Hermione as she buttered her toast. 'There are seven Weasley children, and there are emergency owls, just in case.'

And then they talked about the day's class, James groaning about having double potions this afternoon and Peter grumbling about his extra lessons with Moody. Not long ago they had a practical on resisting the Imperius Curse, and Peter, being the weakest at Defence, had not been successful at doing so. Although Moody had so far been kind, his scarred face and magical eye made Peter's skin crawl.

'You need to concentrate,' said Hermione, 'empty your mind. Say to yourself, res –oh!'

Remus's face turned red, the glass in his hand dropped to his feet as its content spilled over Hermione's robes. 'Sorry,' he mumbled. Neville and Sean from two seats away had turned and looked at the commotion.

'Your wrist still hurts?' Sirius whipped around. The full moon was yesterday, and even with the Wolfsbane Potion, the pain of transformation was not alleviated. It only meant that Remus did not lose humanity after he fully became a wolf.

'It's okay,' Hermione waved her wand and lifted the stain from the robes. Harry and Ron bent down to clear the broken pieces. A moment later, the glass was standing on the table again with a _Reparo_ from Ron.

'Have a bit of my paste,' he grinned, taking out a little glass bottle from his bag. 'Mum says it heals. Apply twice daily.'

Remus thanked him sincerely, and Ron was obviously delighted that he could help. As the great clock struck, signifying the end of breakfast, the Gryffindor Trio left after saying goodbye, leaving the Marauders and Lily alone, waiting for their teacher.

'You alright?' Sirius pressed against Remus, who had put some paste onto his wrist, and the purple bruise on it lightened instantly. But instead of directly answering Sirius, he waved to catch James and Peter's attention and produced a piece of parchment from his pocket.

'What…?' Sirius stared warily at it, and at the same time came Lily's accusing voice, ' _Remus!_ '

'Is that…?' James came closer and examined the parchment, '…Harry's letter? From Mrs Weasley…?'

'I don't think so,' said Remus slowly. His fingers lingered on the folded parchment. 'Ron didn't recognise the owl, and I've never seen it deliver notes before. It's a new owl.'

'Maybe your memory is poorer than you think,' said James, which earned him a glare from Remus. 'Or, Mrs Weasley bought a new owl and Ron didn't know,' he hastily corrected himself.

'Harry usually shares his letters with us,' Remus's gaze was still on the parchment, 'or at least, with Ron and Hermione. He looked exactly like Sirius getting a letter from his family and doesn't want us to see. No, I think the only letter he doesn't want us to see is the one from the other Sirius.'

'You could've asked nicely!' Lily said exasperatedly, the ends of her hair curling. 'And even if it's from Sirius, it doesn't mean that you could take his things when he helped you! And your wrist wasn't even hurting in the first place!'

Remus at least had the heart to look guilty, but James smacked the back of his head with a grin. 'Good job, Moony,' he snagged the parchment and unfolded it. Lily's eyes widened scandalously. 'I was having a headache wondering how I could check on him. At least he's written,' he pointed at the bottom, showing that it was indeed from _Snuffles_ , which Remus had told them it was Sirius's alias.

Remus stared steadfastly at the floor, not daring to read the letter yet. 'To be precise, it is a duplicate of the real letter. I cast a spell when Harry and Ron were dealing with the broken glass,' he muttered, at the same time avoiding Sirius's gaze. 'You read it, I'm not going to do it.'

'Chill, I'm sure Harry will appreciate your sentiment,' James patted him on the shoulder and shot Sirius a look, who shrugged. To James, this was not merely a prank; this way, they could still check on the older Sirius without exposing themselves, although he did promise to make up to Harry the next time they saw him. 'Here, look closely…'

 _Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Dernish & Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can._

 _Snuffles_

'Next Saturday?' Peter gasped. 'That's the Hogsmeade weekend!'

Lily's face went bloodless. She grabbed the letter from James, her anger at Remus's dishonesty momentarily forgotten. 'Are you saying he's still around? And _he's meeting Harry_?'

Sirius and James exchanged a glance, disbelieve and horror flashed across their eyes. But before they could say anything further, Professor Flitwick had beckoned to them and started escorting the group to the Charms classroom.

* * *

As efficient as ever, Moody went ahead of the schedule, so he made the class do more practices on defending the charms they learned this year, in particular, the Imperius curse, which essentially was the focus of the fourth-year curriculum. When the bell that signified the end of class rang, he dismissed the class and asked Peter to stay.

'I need to brief you on our extra lessons,' he grunted as Peter went trembling from his seat. 'You four,' he raised a gnarled finger at the time travellers, 'wait for Snape.'

As if Merlin had arranged it, Snape appeared at the classroom door dramatically the moment Moody stopped talking.

Snape's mouth twitched. He eyed the teenagers coldly. 'Having a party with your Defence teacher, I see,' his voice was silky, but James could feel the emotions lying under. It was hatred (this had been rather obvious even in their teenage years), annoyance and something he couldn't fathom.

'Pettigrew will be here with me to talk business,' said Moody impatiently.

'Business,' Snape echoed, a sneer apparent on his face. 'Seems that the level of intelligence remains the same even in a different timeline. I actually don't mind leaving him here, if you ask me. I have enough to deal with Longbottom and Lupin.'

Peter and Remus flushed a deep shade of purple.

'Unfortunately,' continued the potions master, 'I have no time to waste. So if you may kindly stop dawdling, we could start the babysitting now. Potter! You go first.'

'P-professor Snape,' Lily's voice was high at first, but slowly descended to her normal tone, 'I think we need to go back to our dormitory first. Our potion kits are there.'

James and Sirius exchanged a glee, but if Snape was going to make a snarky remark, he didn't. Instead, his wore a blank expression and nodded abruptly. So one by one in a single file, with James at the very front, followed by Remus and Sirius, finally by Lily, they made their way to the seventh floor. Snape glided behind Lily like a ghost. They walked in silence.

Snape got progressively more sullen as they neared the Gryffindor Tower. In the five-minute journey, he had possibly deducted all Gryffindor points they had accumulated for the year. Just as James thought he could no longer tolerate Snape's abuse of power and was about the start a fight, the most unexpected happened.

The jingling of metal bracelets had reached them first. Snape was making a caustic remark on Remus's limp, and suddenly, a glass orb rolled down the winding stairs that led to the North Tower where they had Divination.

Sybill Trelawney sauntered to them. Her eyes were huge behind her glasses, but she didn't seem to see them at all, for she looked straight ahead showing no sign to stop for the queue of confused teenagers and a Snape that had turned rigid.

'Trelawney,' he greeted perfunctorily. His face was sallower than it had been, like a cold stone coated with a layer of wax.

'Severus!' Trelawney clasped her hands together, bringing the rings and bracelets on her wrists into a clash. 'How delightful it is to meet you here! The Great Seer Cassandra has just arranged for me a walk with my Orb, ' she said in her faraway voice, 'only her true descendants have a strong bond with her Orb.'

'Ha!' James scoffed, and he could sense Snape's boiling wrath behind him for his interruption even without turning. 'Surely it is a delightful event. Professor Snape here is walking us.'

' _Potter_ –'

As if Snape's roar was no more than bird's chirping, Trelawney looked at James squarely in the eye. Her smile lifted her chapped lips, exposing a few black teeth. James suppressed the urge to recoil, but he fought to keep his unfaltering grin.

'Mr Potter, my pleasure –' and midway through her voice dropped from its usual dreaminess to a low, hollow rasp. Her orb-like eyes widened, and the pupil dilated so much that nearly all the white part was expelled from the socket. Her bony hands shot up all of a sudden, clawing at James's wrists, whose cheekiness was completely replaced by genuine fear. ' _–The Dark Lord will return in the depth of the woods. His follower has returned, plotting his plan to mark the Dark Lord's rise, aided by Time… He was born on the light side, and has fought with great will and defied power, long before he rejoins his master … Though he knows not, the traitor will betray, the dead will die still … Though he knows not… when the betrayal begins …'_

Her voice died down slowly, finally dropping to nothingness as she stood there, unmoving like a corpse. James was struggling so hard against her, and at once all the force was lifted and her hands dropped to her sides listlessly. Immediately he took a few large strides away from her, panting and rubbing his wrists where her claw-like fingers had been.

Snape made a move at his left forearm convulsively, a vein on his temple throbbed dangerously.

'What –' James looked up at his fellow time travellers, who were all too shocked to move.

'Pettigrew,' Snape snarled, 'go fetch Pettigrew from Moody. Move! _Move_!'

'But she –' James gestured at Trelawney, who was staring at Snape with a funny expression. Her pupils had returned to their normal size, and James could tell that she found it confusing that she had all the attention of Snape and his pupils when she was simply walking her Orb. 'Never mind,' James decided this was not the right moment to mess with the old enemy and a mad woman, so he wheeled around and pelted down the stairs on Snape's order.

'Walk faster, Lupin!' Snape barked. James could feel Remus stiffen behind him. 'And who said you could speak, Black?'

The group ran like their lives depended on it. James had never seen Snape lose it like this, not even back in the 1970s. He heard him puff heavily, the lines on his face, though he was only in his early thirties, suddenly deepened into grooves. They rushed through stairs and corridors, now deserted of people, and went straight for the Defence classroom. Without waiting for them, Snape strode past them like a great bat and slammed open the door with a flick of his wand.

'I said I was having Pettigrew,' Moody's eye rolled in its socket, his voice was as gruffly as ever, and James noticed there was something new to it: a note of danger.

'The last lesson ended ten minutes ago,' Snape's demeanor had returned to its usual coldness, any trace of the previous desperation was all gone. 'Give me Pettigrew.'

Moody squinted at him. At length he hopped off the teacher's desk and limped over to Peter. The poor boy looked dazed, his nose slightly red and blotchy, a mug of hot tea with a wisp of smoke was in his hands. 'Get up,' Moody growled, 'your potion master has come to fetch you. We'll talk next time.'

Peter grabbed his quills and parchments and left the seat swiftly. James did not miss the angry red marks on the parchment that was surely his last quiz on dark magic detectors. It had not been a difficult quiz, James reckoned, but right now he felt a pang of guilt, thinking they should've given poor Peter a hand.

Snape's penetrative voice pulled him out of his thoughts once they were in the corridor towards the dungeon. 'You heard the woman,' Snape snarled (for no reason at all, thought James), 'the death eaters are coming back to join the Dark Lord. You, all of you, should stick together under any circumstances. If you ever venture out of the castle again,' Snape's little black eyes glittered, and James felt as if his mind was being displayed like a film to the sallow man, 'I will kill you myself. Do not test me.'

The cold air from the dungeon blew to their faces, the familiar smell of potions invaded their senses. They walked in slowly and the class began.

 **A/N: Sorry I've been MIA for such a long time. Uni is driving me nuts and Fantastic Beasts 2 has held my attention for quite a while. ;)**


	23. Mr Padfoot

**A/N: 1) A reader pointed out to me that Sirius and Harry would never have used Sirius's real name in their letters. While this is exactly what they should've done, in canon they do use 'Sirius' in their early letters. So you can imagine what could've happened should someone intercepted their letters - luckily it is only Remus in this AU. All the lines from Sirius's letters were directly extracted from Rowling's book except for the ones between Remus and Sirius (which I made up, obviously), and in that case I've carefully left out the sign-off. If you find any other plot holes (which I'm sure there are) or if you have anything to ask, just leave a comment below. ;)**

 **2) This is the longest chapter so far. Lots of details, lots of emotions, I'm not even sure it's turned out the way I wanted. Nevertheless it was a fun chapter to write, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!**

Day and night came and went, gradually the time travellers had got used to being escorted by teachers. They were no longer fazed by Snape's empty threats or caustic remarks, no longer startled by Trelawney's eccentricity. McGonagall's stern gaze had softened on them, and Flitwick, who they hadn't got a chance to be really close with back in the past, had taken to them warmly after a few escorts. Perhaps the only thing that remained constant was the red marks on Peter's papers, and tears and red nose were not uncommon on the chubby boy after his extras. In a way this was the most peaceful week Hogwarts ever had with the Marauders as its occupants, and soon it was the Hogsmeade weekend.

Harry looked vaguely apologetic when he was waiting for Hermione in the Common Room. 'I wish you could come with me,' he said to the time travellers, 'but it would be –'

'– Dangerous for us to go out, yeah,' James waved his hand in irritation, 'same old shit that Dumbledore's been repeating. We know.'

' _James_ ,' Lily warned.

'Why can't we follow you in our Cloak?' James pressed on, ignoring Lily.

Harry had a dazed look like he couldn't argue with that before Hermione broke in: 'remember that Moody can see through the Cloak? God knows how many people can do that too.'

'Where are you going, anyway?' asked James. Lily rolled her eyes and let out a groan behind him.

'The Three Broomsticks, probably,' said Ron with a shrug. 'Fancy a visit to Tomes and Scrolls too, Hermione?'

'If we have time,' said Hermione noncommittally.

'Right,' Harry nodded, stealing a glance at his friends before he spoke again. 'We'll be going, then. Stay safe, and stay _,_ er… _in the castle_ ,' he looked in James's eyes directly, 'and we'll see you at dinner.'

After the last of their footsteps died away, James flopped back onto the couch dramatically. 'Good Godric, he really sets his mind on not letting us know about the meeting. I supposed I should be happy that at least he cares about our safety.'

Remus gave him a half-glance, standing up and throwing a cloak over himself. 'You didn't have to push him like that, it's like forcing him to choose between you and Sirius,' he said light-heartedly and tapped on Sirius's shoulder. 'Oi, I think we should get going.'

James heard Sirius take a deep breath. He exchanged a look with Remus, and both held one of Sirius's hands and squeezed. Sirius had now a determined look set in his face while he had been wearing the expression of the bereaved in the last few days. It was understandable, James supposed: you can't expect one to be calm and accepting right away when you are meeting your future self in the state of an escaped convict in half an hour. That's not to say that James was not any less frustrated and saddened by his own fate, but he tended to be less volatile when it came to dealing with shock, and whenever he saw Harry and Lily, he knew that at least he had had his happy ending.

Just as James was inwardly cheering for his brother for having the courage to even move, there came Peter's timid whine, stopping Sirius at once and he deflated like a used balloon.

'Are we really going?' Peter whimpered. He stood close by the mantelpiece that was furthest away from the entrance. 'Are you… sure?'

James frowned. 'We've talked about this, Pete,' he said. 'We've been meaning to go since we got the letter.'

'But I never agreed!' said Peter shrilly. 'Look, this is dangerous. _Extremely dangerous._ What if –' he erupted into a coughing fit, '– you were already attacked last time, and you didn't even go as far as Hogsmeade. Please, don't go. Can't we just stay in and, and enjoy a day on which we don't have to worry about our lives?'

Remus retrieved his steps from the entrance and handing him a jumper, looking worried and slightly guilty. 'Have you got a cold? I guess you could stay to rest a bit while we go,' he peered at James, who nodded.

'Yes, no –' Peter coughed again – 'can't we just all stay in and not go at all?' When neither James nor Remus replied, he whipped around to face Lily, grabbing her hands and screamed. 'Lily! You were against it at first! Please, I don't want to put ourselves at risk, not a second… I don't want to lose you now when I know I'll lose you for sure in the future – Tell them not to go, Lily, _please_!'

Lily disentangled her hands from Peter's grip apologetically. 'I understand, Peter,' she said gently, her voice imbued with sorrow and sympathy, 'but… I care about Sirius just as much as I care about us. It's our mutual decision. Plus,' she bit down on her lower lip for a moment, 'I really want to see how he's doing in this world. He must be very lonely. If… if I could, I'd also like to see Remus too. But that's out of our reach.'

Peter let out a sob, and this time Sirius, who had so far remained quiet, cleared his throat and said loudly, 'I appreciate that, Peter, and many thanks for that too, Lily, but I think… I have the final say in it, considering it's about me and all.' He felt self-conscious suddenly as everyone fixed him with an intense gaze. He swallowed.

'I want to go.'

That gave an air of finality. Peter's already bloodless face turned ashen grey, and James let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. 'Okay,' he said, clapping his hands, 'that's that, then. Peter, you can stay here in the castle. The rest of us will go.'

* * *

James, Lily, Sirius and Remus clustered under the Cloak, which had been stretched to its fullest to cover them all, and silently treaded behind the Gryffindor Trio. They had not go to the meeting place straightaway; instead they spent an hour or so in Gladrags Wizardwear to buy the most lurid socks ('For Dobby', said Hermione enthusiastically), and the time travellers were almost lured to spend a few Galleons themselves. James discovered that Harry and Ron had missed out on quite a lot of mischief making on their way, and they had even politely greeted Aberforth the goat fetishist like students greeting teachers as they passed by him on the street. That had profoundly violated James's principles as a Marauder, and he had almost wanted to take off the Cloak and educate them on pranking, sarcasm and swearing, the core value of James's little gang.

Finally, when Harry was done with the socks and stuff (Sirius was starting to get impatient), they left the shop in high spirits and started making their way up High Street towards Dernish & Banges as the older Sirius had indicated.

The lane twisted and winded, leading them towards the outskirts of the village. Gradually, the cottages became more scattered, the gardens larger, and fewer and fewer traces of civilisation but the wild countryside remained. Even for James, Sirius and Remus, they had never gone in this direction before. The Shrieking Shack was far enough, but it was on the other side near the forest and they rarely ventured past it, not before they became successfully animagi, at least.

The Scottish air in February was crisp and cool. Fog descended over the countryside like a white curtain, clouding everything ten feet away in a haze. Trees and bushes were no longer blocks of welcoming green, but shadowy without a clear outline in the heavy fog.

James could hear the increasingly loud heartbeat from himself and his mates. Harry, Ron and Hermione were still chatting ahead, oblivious to the danger they could be in, but things were different for the time travellers. They were far more experienced in sneaking around, and far more experienced in facing danger. Chatting and not having their guards up were taboos in such activities.

'Maybe… Peter is right,' whispered Remus at last. 'It's an easy spot for attack.'

Lily took a quiet breath. 'But we've come this far,' she said, blowing air between her hands to keep them warm, 'let's just go ahead.'

And so they moved on. When they rounded a corner and came to a stile, the Trio let out a cry of joy. A large black dog the size of a bear was wagging its tail, tongue sticking out and waiting for them on its front paws on the topmost bar of the stile.

Harry went ahead and patted it on the head. 'Hello, Sirius.'

The time travellers' jaws dropped. As the great dog wagged its tail and sniffed Harry, Ron and Hermione eagerly, understanding dawned on James. 'Of course,' he smacked the back of his head, 'Sirius the Dog Star. _Snuffles_. This is Sirius's animagus form.'

Lily's head jerked up. 'What–'

'I'll tell you later,' muttered Remus under his breath. 'Right now, we'll need to keep some distance from them lest he sniffs us out.'

Sirius trotted ahead, his tail still wagging and his tongue out. He led them over the stile and through a patch of scrubby ground to the foot of the mountain. For nearly half an hour they climbed non-stop, following Sirius over the rocky borders and a steep winding path. Lily had sweat all over her red hair, which was billowing in the wind like flames, and Remus was wheezing as quietly as he could at the back. Sirius had one arm around Remus to help him up, but was biting his lip to keep himself from groaning. Even James, with his stamina enhanced by Quidditch practices, found this a demanding task especially when he had to mind his steps not to make noise.

At last, they had stopped before a fissure in a rock. When they slipped into it, they found themselves in a cool, dim-lit cave. A Hippogriff was tied a large rock, and next to it squatting on the ground was a thin man in ragged grey robes with stains and patches all over. His long hair was matted with dirt, and his cheekbones stuck out under sallow skin so sharp that they could cut. But no matter how filthy and poorly he looked, the time travellers could recognise who he was – a thirty-five-year-old Sirius Black, waiting to meet his Godson and his friends.

'Buckbeak likes rats very much,' Sirius grinned, pointing at the Hippogriff. 'So I have to hide some from him in case I can't find leftovers. Rats are more delicious than I thought, y'know.'

Sirius under the cloak winced, watching the man that would be him in twenty years in horror. James and Remus reached out at the same time and put their hands on his shoulders.

The Trio and the older Sirius, oblivious to the exchange under the cloak, had started talking. Harry was telling him about Mr Crouch's disappearance, and Sirius had enquired about his behaviour at the Quidditch World Cup earlier on that year. And then Sirius started on the story of the Crouch family, which was news to the time travellers and James had to make a mental note to watch out for Barty Crouch Jr when he went back.

'I'll be around until the Tournament is over in June,' said Sirius at last. 'Drop me a line if you find anything odd, Okay?'

Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded, hugging Sirius one last time before the walked out of the cave. Sirius watched them quietly, and it was no until Harry was completely blocked out by the fog that he turned around.

'Come out, James. No fun eavesdropping.'

James slowly took off the Cloak. Sirius just stood there, unmoving, but James saw a flash across his eyes the moment his head poked out. Strangely, it looked like that his eyes were the only part of him that was alive; the rest of him was rigid like a weathered statue.

'I half expected you'd come,' he barked out a mirthless laugh, 'you did not disappoint me.'

James took a step, hesitated, and then sped up and buried his face in that tattered robe of Sirius's. He felt Sirius tense and his hands shift, perhaps not knowing where to put them. They rested on his back at last, though bony and dirt-coated, they squeezed back with a strong force – along with twelve years of grieve, longing, sorrow, self-loathing and guilt. Although the most part of these emotions were a ball of unfathomable confusion to the fourteen-year-old James, he understood his brother enough.

When he looked back at Sirius's face, properly and unobscured this time, the hollow cheeks sank and Sirius grinned, revealing a few blackened teeth.

'Hi, dickhead.'

James laughed. 'Foul-mouthed as ever, aren't you?' He beckoned the rest of the time travellers over. Sirius's grin grew wider when his gaze landed on Lily, and when it came to Remus, it dimmed a little and his gaze softened. Finally, he looked at his younger self, and both of them stared without blinking.

At length, he asked, 'Is Pettigrew not here?'

'No,' Remus's voice made an echo in the cave, his confusion as to the use of surname to refer to the fourth Marauder apparent. 'He's down with a cold.'

Sirius was still eyeing him with that odd look, a look that was slightly different than the one he gave James and Lily. 'Right,' he nodded slowly. He was still munching on the drumstick Harry gave him, and when Remus handed him a lunchbox wordlessly, his eyes widened.

'It's enchanted to be deeper than it looks from the outside,' Remus grinned, albeit a little guarded, 'there're chocolate, sandwiches, muffin and bread, probably enough for a month. The Preservation Charm keeps them from going bad.'

Sirius froze before he took it. 'Thanks,' he said absently. 'About… you, I haven't contacted him since … he left the post. I'm very sorry about that, in case you want to know, that is.'

'Oh,' said Remus as a look of understanding flitted across his face. 'I…I'm sure Professor Lupin understands. It's q-quite dangerous, sending letters back and forth, just like you said,' he glanced furtively between the older and younger Siriuses, the latter of whom had crossed his arms before his chest when Remus mentioned the letters.

The older Sirius barked a laugh. 'Professor Lupin, then, as you put it. Yeah.' James thought he saw a familiar smirk on that sallow cheeks; at once the filthy criminal before him was no longer thirty-five but fifteen. But immediately he had collected himself and became more serious. 'It's best if you know it's dangerous then. Your last letter had created quite some trouble, and Skeeter had only made it worse.'

'You know what happened, then?' asked Lily.

'I know the first part pretty damn well having seen it with my own eyes,' Sirius growled like a beast ready to attack. 'But only bits and pieces about the last part through Harry.'

'But how?' gasped Remus. 'You weren't –'

'Oh I saw how you were attacked alright,' said Sirius, his teeth gritted. 'I was the one that scared away the attacker to begin with.'

Immediately James recalled that day by the Great Lake. Someone in black had attacked him and Remus, who had been waiting for Sirius under the yew tree, and when the attacker had his wand almost directly at him, _something_ happened – there was a growl behind the bushes – and the attacker dropped his wand in panic – and then he was petrified instead of dead –

'That was _you_ ,' said James sharply. 'You were behind the bushes in the form of the great black dog. You made the growl and the attacker panicked. _You'd been waiting for us_.'

'That's right,' said Sirius quietly. 'All this time I've been scrounging the Daily Prophet from bins and trash piles, and when that day Skeeter made you and I headline –' he pointed at Remus and his younger self, '– to say that I was frightened is an understatement. I knew better than to trust Skeeter, but that picture, with both of you on it only covering your faces, that was too revealing. I'm not sure if this is just me being too paranoid, but I can safely assume that anyone who knew us from school can tell right away that it was you and me.'

The younger Sirius nodded grimly. 'Moody told us the Malfoys and Rosiers demanded to see us in person.'

'I'm not surprised,' Sirius replied. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. When his eyes reopened, they became livelier and shinier. 'You don't know how panicked I was. It was almost like that doom day again – everything was going to fall apart. I don't want to lose you a second time, James, and Lils, and Harry…' he stooped, so that he was on eye level with the teenagers, 'and I certainly don't want to inflict more pain than I already have on you, Remus. I needed to make sure…'

'How long have you been waiting, then?' whispered Lily. Her brows were drawn together, concern written all over her face. 'There was quite some time between the release of Skeeter's report and the Second Task…'

'Since the day the news came out,' rasped Sirius.

There was a long silence. And then James thought of what Hermione had said: that Sirius was passionate and reckless, and he would do anything to see his old friends despite any danger. That, James reckoned, was a pretty accurate gauge of his brother.

Sirius continued: 'But what really got me thinking was where the attacker appeared from. I was on the other side of the shore facing the castle. I was watching you close, but far enough to hide from you, hoping you'd return as soon as possible. I had my guard high up behind me – because that's the Hogsmeade direction – but the attacker coming right _from_ the castle was the not the first thing I'd thought of. The bastard even stunned me,' he yanked his robes open to reveal his chest, on which a large purple bruise was imprinted on the tightly stretched skin over his ribs. 'That to me signifies two things: one, there's not only someone lurking inside the castle, but a well-camouflaged _spy_ ,' his nostrils flared as though fire was about to spit out, 'and two, it's only one single case in an elaborate plan of attacks. As long as you're still well and alive, there're many more to come.'

'An elaborate _plan of attacks_?' The younger Sirius stood up abruptly.

The older Sirius raised an eyebrow. 'First there's the fight leading up to Rita Skeeter's scoop, then Mr Crouch and Moody's appearance in Snape's office, and finally the attack by the Great Lake. One way or another, they're all connected by the fact that you're the ones concerned.'

'They seem pretty random to me,' said Remus contemplatively. 'Rita Skeeter's article was just an accident –we ran into her just outside the Hall. We raided Snape's office for revenge, and by chance we ran into Mr Crouch and Moody. The Great Lake attack happened because James and I saw the news and wanted to check on you. That was all pretty much directed by our own will and decision, and no one could possibly have predicted what we wanted to do next especially when our decisions were very much spontaneous.'

Sirius seemed unconvinced, but he didn't contradict him. 'You had a fight with Shirley Smyth, didn't you?' asked Sirius. 'Tell me about her.'

'That Hufflepuff bitch has no sense of decency,' spat the younger Sirius, and he recounted the events at the Yule Ball. Apparently, his anger at the girl had not eased for the slightest bit even after a few months.

'That does sound like the effect of a love potion,' the older Sirius commented. 'But the love potion only works the way in which the drinker will be infatuated with the giver of the potion. Unless you're saying that …'

'Of course I didn't give her the potion,' said Remus defensively. The younger Sirius made a gagging sound, and that had induced an amused smile on the older man despite the gloomy topic. But that only lasted for a second for his expression grew grave once more as he spoke again.

'But I can think of another way that could create the same effect: the Imperius Curse. That way, the caster could achieve their purpose through the victim without revealing themselves, and the victim would just be the scapegoat for whatever the caster wanted. That ties in with my theory of having a spy, actually,' he stroked his stubbled chin, and only then did he respond to Remus's previous suggestion. 'What if instead of reacting upon what you'd do next to have the attacks formulated, someone had planned all these so that you'd do things the way they wanted? What if the fight was planned ahead to get you exposed, so that for some reason you'd go to Snape's office and at last by the Great Lake…?' His voice dropped to a murmur. It was obvious that the gears in his head were turning at full speed. 'But no…What good does it do to have you in Snape's office? Why didn't the attacker kill you directly at the Lake? No, no. That doesn't make sense.'

'We got the Gillyweed from Snape's office, if there's ever any good,' said Lily after a while. 'But why would they provide us with a cure if they wanted us dead to begin with?'

Neither Sirius nor the time travellers spoke for a long time. They were all convinced that Sirius had a point in saying that the attacks were connected in some way, but not quite the way he suggested. There seemed to be an important piece missing. If only they figured out the missing puzzle, then all of these would be explainable.

'Tell us about the alleged spy,' said James just as the silence became too hard to bear.

Sirius shrugged. 'It's not an uncommon strategy,' his expression darkened at once, the lines on his face deepened with extreme hatred and horror. And then James realised that there were more than just age between them: there was the big chasm of war and experience and emotions between the First War survivor and the four little brats whose main concern was not to get caught by teachers for pranking. Innocence was their greatest strength; but for Sirius, he was forced to mature and that had killed off every last bit of innocence and youthfulness in him.

'Trust,' he said very, very slowly, enunciating every word, 'is the weakest and strongest bond between all of us. It can unite the most incompatible people, but it also can hurt us the deepest possible way if it is misplaced.' Shadow and light danced on the ups and downs on his skin that scripted the First War with its scars. 'So promise me that you'll choose whom to trust carefully, and trust those you choose however things change.' He looked up to them, his eyes strangely bright.

James looked at Lily, then Remus and Sirius, and then he thought of Peter. _We're the Marauders,_ thought James, _and we're family. We will be with each other till the end of the world, won't we?_

'Speaking of spies, Trelawney has made some crap prophecy about it,' said the younger Sirius suddenly. That broke the determined gazes they were sharing, and their attention in the conversation was rapt again.

The menace that had been lying deep in the older Sirius's eyes flashed. 'Do tell.'

' _The Dark Lord will return in the depth of the woods. His follower has returned, plotting his plan to mark the Dark Lord's rise, aided by Time. He was born on the light side, and has fought with great will and defied power, long before he rejoins his master. Though he knows not, the traitor will betray, the dead will die still. Though he knows not, when the betrayal begins_ ,' recited James. 'Sounds pretty fancy, more so than her usual predictions.'

Sirius's expression was even more murderous than before. He had always worn a haunted look, but now it was more apparent than ever. Again, he lapsed into silence, as though digesting the prophecy word by word. He was breathing very heavily, the echoes of his breathing were eerie enough to make their skin crawl.

At last, he said again: 'That could be anyone, or no one at all. I… I can't say for sure, not for you, but I can speak from experience: do not underestimate the power of prophecies. If you don't already know, Voldemort targeted the Potters because of a prophecy. It was said that the defeater of Voldemort was born in late July to those who had defied him thrice, and he… believed that it was Harry. Had he not believed in it, he probably wouldn't have met his downfall… yet.'

James and Lily exchanged a look. Little did their fellow classmates in 70s know what awaited them; Marlene McKinnon was probably still ignoring Mary MacDonald for having a mutual crush, Frank Longbottom might still have all his attention on how to get rid of his pimples, and Benjy Fenwick was without a doubt off pulling Hestia Jones's pigtails. Did they survive the war? Were they prepared for what to come next?

James's trance was forced to a halt as Remus broke in: 'Now that I think about it, a few of Trelawney's prophecies have actually come true to some extent.' Seeing their confused expression, he further explained: 'Like the one she said about me being sick a few days before the full moon…'

'Come off it, Moony,' the younger Sirius frowned. 'Like Hermione said, that was obvious to everyone. She only lacked tact to have said it out loud.'

Remus held up a hand impatiently. 'That's right. At least part of her predictions is based on truths, however obvious they are. And if you think about her other predictions about us…'

Lily's hands balled into fists instantly. 'That reminds me –James and Remus are referred to as the Sons of Poseidon – I think that's pretty self-explanatory at this point,' she said shrilly. 'Poseidon is the Greek God of the Sea in muggle literature, and who fell in the Lake just last month? James and Remus.'

James's eyes widened. 'I don't think–'

'I am not finished. What about her asking Remus to latch the door? Does that mean anything to you?'

James was going to say that it was a very vague idea that could hardly be called a prediction at all, and suddenly he heard Sirius beside him take a sharp breath in shock. 'That night. The full moon that hurt Remus really badly – the night before James and Peter saw the dragons and Snape first told us about the Wolfsbane Potion – we went to see Moony at the Shack just before the transformation, and we were complaining that Dumbledore didn't care about his students –'

Something clicked in James. The memory of that night expanded in his mind, and how they revisited the Shack, how they saw the thick, rusty iron door, how they had to cast a _Reparo_ on the broken latch to prevent the wolf from clawing its way out – they all came back like that was only yesterday.

'That,' James's tongue was rolling with difficulty. The fog was beginning to lift, and he could see farther, clearer – 'that had led us into the Forest to see the dragons because Remus said Moony kept slamming into the wall facing the Forest…'

'Seeing the dragons was the unintended effect, I believe,' Lily whispered. 'But what would have happened if you hadn't come to fix the latch?'

'The wolf would have come out of the Shack and crashed straight into the Forest,' concluded Remus, his voice hard and sharp but a tremble managed to slip through his feigned composure. 'And only two things could have happened: I would either have fought the dragons to death, or shredded the wizards controlling the dragons into pieces and be executed in the end.'

 **A/N: The next chapter probably won't come out until Jan, so here I wish everyone an early merry Christmas and a happy New Year!**


	24. The Clock Is Ticking

Before any of them could react, Buckbeak the hippogriff, which had been lying down the whole time stood up on its front claws, its ball-like eyes glowing in the shadow. Sirius gestured the teenagers to be silent and watched it warily.

Wisps of white smoke crept through the thin fissure on the rock where they slipped in and started growing. When it reached Remus, instant pain in the nose took over him. It was as if thousands of needles were poking into the inside of his nose and was spreading towards his throat. His eyes watered up immediately; the desire to sneeze and _get out_ sounded an alarm in him, threatening his rational thinking to step aside.

'Move back!' said Sirius hoarsely. He grabbed James's wand and drew a complex pattern. A jet of faint light shot from the tip and spread out horizontally, forming a shield between them and the white smoke.

'This is a dead end. He can't be here,' said a woman's voice outside the cave.

'You never know,' said a man's voice. It was nasal and full of disdain and malice. 'He blew up the street and killed twelve muggles in one go, the devil. Merlin knows what else he can do.'

There was no answer. Then there came the sound of grass scrunching under boots, and pebbles clicking against each other.

'He was never given a trial,' said the woman after a while.

'You need to forget everything you think you know about him,' the man replied harshly. 'This is one of the most crucial qualities an Auror should possess. I told Moody not to let you out in the field this soon. He didn't listen.'

'Forget that, Scrimgeour,' snapped the woman. 'The fact is, you are not any more successful in capturing him either.'

Back in the cave, the redness on Remus's nose spread to his cheeks, and then his entire head and neck region. He doubled over and put his head between his hands. But as they were shielded against the smoke, he got slightly better somehow. After a while, his eyes were no longer watery though his nose was still runny and red from sneezing.

'They are still quite some distance away. I placed amplifying charms on the road to this cave so that I can watch out for people coming,' said Sirius in a low voice. He went over to the rock which Buckbeak was tied to and untied the hippogriff.

'Time to go, good guy.'

'Do we go out or…' Lily paused. When they looked out of the fissure, they could see nothing but the eerie white smoke descending over the entire mountain.

'Auror tactics,' said Sirius darkly. 'C'here. We're going this way.'

He led the teenagers and Buckbeak towards the back of the cave. It was very dark; so dark that the spot had probably never seen sunlight. Only when they squinted could they make out the outline of a few loose rocks. Sirius lifted the rocks with a spell, and then a narrow, downward sloping path that led straight into the depth of woods was revealed.

Almost instantaneously, a new voice they had never heard before spoke: 'Is that a cave? The rocks look a bit weird there.'

It was smart and sharp, quite unlike the lazy tone of Scrimgeour's voice, which probably belonged to a well-trained Auror.

'You're so much sharper than Tonks, Shacklebolt,' answered Scrimgeour.

The teenagers all turned in horror. James already had his Invisibility Cloak in hand, but he too looked troubled and was shaking slightly.

'They came quicker than I thought,' Sirius gritted his teeth. 'Now, we need to separate, seeing there's no quicker method than to do this. I can't Apparate with four people and one big bird.' He walked over to Buckbeak and patted on its back, Buckbeak leaning into his touch. 'Two of you will fly on Buckbeak, and two of you will be with me.'

'Where are we going?' asked the younger Sirius frantically.

'Downhill,' said Sirius simply.

'Why don't _you_ go with Buckbeak?' Remus panted. 'Surely you need to get away more than any of us do, and flying is much faster.'

'You can't be seen either,' Sirius looked exasperated. 'What do you think the Ministry would do with you? Just do what I said. Get on Buckbeak.'

James looked around once, mulling it over before he climbed swiftly on the hippogriff. 'Lily will go with me on Buckbeak. Sirius and Remus will follow you –' he paused to shove his Cloak into Sirius's hand – 'with my Cloak.'

But the older Sirius just shook his head. Without a word, he flung the Cloak over James, Lily and Buckbeak so that only the big eagle head and the wings were visible. As if Buckbeak understood its master's thoughts, it spread open its wide wings and started flapping, blowing up the soil around them. In a few second's time, they were no bigger than a speck of dust in the sky, Buckbeak with only its wings and eagle front body appearing just like a normal eagle at first glance.

As soon as Buckbeak took flight, Sirius transformed – an enormous bear-like dog with hair the colour of ebony and feet as slender as a leopard's. The younger Sirius climbed on without needing to be told, Remus following suit and sitting behind him. His hands were around Sirius, and Sirius's clung tightly around Padfoot's neck.

'Ready?' asked Sirius. When Remus nodded, Padfoot the dog leaped and ran towards the woods at the speed of lightning, away from the Aurors, the cave, the afternoon, and everything he never had in his thirteen years of solitude.

* * *

Everything around them went in a blur – the trees and grass were a mucky shade of dark green, the narrow pathway ahead extending forever. Although they were travelling at a speed much faster than they went uphill, it seemed that time passed a great deal slower. For an hour or more, Remus heard nothing but the sound of grass crunching under Padfoot's paws, his tongue lolling about his muzzle and the shaggy chest heaving.

At last, Padfoot slowed down his pace when they were under the dense crowns of trees that seemed to be as tall and wide as the sky itself. Sparkles of sunlight filtered through the leaves, sprinkling the ground with golden sheds. It was so dark that one could not tell the time if it wasn't for the bleeding sun outside, dying the sky vermillion and streaked with blue – sunset was close. They would miss dinner if they didn't hurry up.

 _Woof!_

Padfoot's bark wakened Remus and Sirius from their daze. They straightened up at once.

'What's up, Snuffles?' asked Remus in a low voice.

Padfoot barked again, and then a tall man walked out from behind a tree without warning. His lined face was hidden behind a large bush of stringy grey hair and beard, a pair of dirty spectacles rested on his nose bridge.

Sirius and Remus felt their bottom drop out of their stomach. 'Run!' Sirius shouted, making a move to dismount. 'Run! We can deal with him!'

But then Padfoot darted forward, and Sirius lost his balance and tumbled over. He watched hopelessly out of the corner of his eye as the great black dog ran ahead to the man and lay down on his paws, Remus still on his back.

'Mr – Aberforth,' said Remus after a few heavy breaths, his calm quickly recovering. 'Good evening. We were just having a bit of fun with our dog.'

The Hog's Head Inn barman grunted. Only then did Sirius see his piercing blue eyes behind the dirty glasses that reminded him strongly of the Headmaster of Hogwarts.

'Don't expect me to buy your lie, Lupin,' said Aberforth gruffly. 'C'mon. Been waiting for ages.'

Remus went down and rested a hand on Padfoot's head, Aberforth's words went seemingly unnoticed. 'Our dog could be friends with your goat, Mr Aberforth,' he smiled. 'What do you say, Snu – _hey! Snuffles!_ '

Sirius whipped around, but Padfoot was nowhere to be seen. Remus was on his toes, looking into the depth of the woods, his face strangely pale. 'He was here…'

 _'Come on_ ,' he was interrupted by Aberforth, who stomped his feet impatiently. 'The hippogriff was here _an hour ago_. You don't want your friends waiting.'

'James and Lily were here?' gasped Sirius at the same time Remus asked, 'Waiting for what?'

Aberforth said nothing in response. He grunted again, turning with his back towards them and started walking away. With James and Lily in mind, Sirius and Remus quickened their pace behind the tall man, who seemed to know what exactly was happening but refused to share his knowledge. Occasionally, Remus would look back, hoping he'd catch a glimpse of the black dog.

'It's okay, don't worry,' whispered Sirius in his ear. 'He knows what he's doing.' When Remus didn't look convinced, he added, 'hey, it's me after all. Trust me, alright?'

Aberforth snorted. Sirius and Remus jumped, for they had not expected him to listen in on the quiet exchange.

'If he knew what he was doing, he wouldn't have talked to you at all,' said Aberforth. He turned back a little, his gaze judgmental and slightly admonishing. Sirius stared back defiantly, and suddenly felt Remus tugging at his sleeve.

A familiar slanted rooftop caught his attention first. A battered house with vines snaking around its bricks stood forlornly in the middle of the fog, the windows and door barred with wooden panels.

'The Shack –!' said Sirius in surprise. And then he saw more and more cottages and houses ahead. 'Hogsmeade – we're at Hogsmeade! The back of the mountain leads back to the village!'

'That's right,' Aberforth confirmed, sounding a little more pleased with them for the first time. 'Now, kids, hold my hands tight. We're about to Apparate.' His large hands reached out to Sirius's and Remus's just as he added, as an afterthought, 'I can only Apparate as far with two kids in tow.'

A loud crack sounded. When they opened their eyes again, they were already in the Shack, its interior exactly the same as the last time Remus left it to be. Aberforth held his wand, soft light glowing at the wand tip. He looked left and right alarmingly.

'Here,' Remus said quickly as he guided the man to the trapdoor. He didn't want to explain anything, so he simply lifted the trapdoor and led the way through the thick iron door and into the tunnel.

If Aberforth had anything to ask, he didn't. He followed Sirius and Remus in silence, walking with his back hunched in the narrow tunnel, looking rather pensive. Since they were on their familiar territory, Sirius and Remus no longer needed directions. They went ahead as easily as fish swim in water. Very quickly, they wiggled out of the tunnel and returned to their Common Room, Aberforth dropping them off at the Willow.

The first thing they saw was James and Lily, their expression grave. Peter hovered around the couch, his eyes bloodshot and red. James had caught them first; he jumped, and the rest of them let out a cry of joy. They hugged, arms and legs all tangled together as if they had been apart a million years.

'It is truly a blessing that you returned safely.'

Remus's head snapped up to see Dumbledore sitting at the table with a cup of tea.

'Chocolate?' asked the old man.

'Headmaster –' Remus started, but Dumbledore held up a hand.

'Please have a seat, now that you are all here,' said Dumbledore smoothly, his tone allowed no objection. The time travellers each accepted a cup of chocolate and sat down on the couch, but no one dared to actually sit _down_. It was as if they were sitting on sharp needles.

'It is the unfortunately turn of events that drew us here all this evening. Thereby it is in your best interest that I ask for your kind cooperation and absolute honesty.'

Dumbledore's eyes were as clear as ice, but when they skidded across them, they threatened to scorch the truth out of them. Once more Sirius was reminded of the strange barman that led them into the castle. Had Aberforth been on it all along? Were Harry, Ron and Hermione safe? More importantly, what had happened to Padfoot?

'Harry and his friends are safe,' Dumbledore reassured, but his face betrayed no inner thoughts. 'Even if the Ministry got them, they would be fine because they belong here, but of course you don't. Did Sirius tell you about the law of time travelling?'

Remus flinched. His previous joy at Sirius's identity being still clandestine dissipated. 'I... He…'

'Remember that I ask for absolute honesty, Mr Lupin,' said Dumbledore lightly. 'Besides, you and Harry were not the only ones in contact with him. Aberforth was on my order to pick you up at the Forest. We were very concerned about your escape once we heard the news. Luckily, Buckbeak and Padfoot were extremely reliable. I am very glad Sirius hasn't lost his Auror facility.'

Sirius's eyes brightened and dimmed. 'Speaking of Aurors…'

Dumbledore gave an almost imperceptible nod. 'Someone tipped off the Ministry about Sirius who is still high on the list of wanted criminals. It is said that an anonymous informant claimed to have seen him near Hogsmeade this morning, and the approximate location of the cave was disclosed. It couldn't have been more fortunate that my source informed me just as they were about to set off.'

'But they couldn't have known,' said Sirius loudly. 'No one else knows about it except Harry and us.' He realised the flaw in his logic soon as the words left his lips. 'Unless – '

'Maybe the letter was intercepted and Harry didn't know,' said Remus hurriedly. He was sickly green, and there was a noticeable quaver in his voice.

'I told you not to go!' Squeaked Peter out of nowhere. _He truly deserved an apology,_ thought Remus as the chubby boy almost teared up again.

Sirius appeared as though he would like to say more but Dumbledore quieted him with a wave of his hand. 'If I might suggest, it is no longer important how the Ministry got wind of it anymore because risks _do_ exist, and we have very well prepared for it – the escape plan, the route, the new hideout and so on. However, it does change my plan regarding your return as today's event has proved it urgent and necessary.'

He took out a lidded box from the pocket of his purple robes. When the lid was removed, it revealed a shining hourglass with rings around it on the soft velvet – the time turner.

'The longer you stay, the greater the danger – it is the central principle well-known by both us and our enemy. Whichever side takes advantage of your time traveller identity, it is likely that they would win. I had been working on the time turner, and I have been able to restore it to its previous state which will be able to send you back without any consequences – but only just,' he paused, fixing every one of them with a scorching gaze. When the information appeared to have sunk in, he announced, 'I would like you to return to 1974 as soon as possible. Preferably tonight, latest tomorrow morning.'

'What –!' was the only response the time travellers could utter.

'I understand you would like to spend more time with Harry,' Dumbledore's gaze softened, his clear spectacles reflecting James and Lily, who were both white in the face. 'But think of it this way: the earlier you go, the less danger Harry would be in. One cannot focus just on the small part and ignore the big picture. This is a war – a war that has been raging on since your generation. Would you want all the previous effort – all those who had fought, who had sacrificed –' James and Lily exchanged a look, while Sirius stared adamantly at the floor – 'to be wasted for nothing? Would you – let's not pretend we don't know it happened – want what you have built for Harry, the reason he's alive today, to be crushed and gone in vain just because you wanted to stay?'

For a very long time, there was nothing but silence. The log crackled in the fireplace, and soon there would be nothing but dying ember that needed replacing. It was only appropriate for the evening – time was passing without mercy.

'Give us a moment, professor, if you please,' Lily finally said. 'It… it's quite a lot to take in.'

Dumbledore nodded gravely. 'Take your time. The Room of Requirement will be closed automatically when you leave.' And then he put down the time turner and left.

As soon as he was out of view, Sirius and James spun around at the same time. 'We need to talk to Harry.'

Lily rose to her feet. 'I'll go too.'

'Ask him to come,' said Remus quietly. 'It's literally the safest place here in the whole of England.'

'But it's dinner hour!' James messed his hair in frustration. 'Merlin knows how long he's going to eat with Ron and Hermione bickering all the time!'

'Okay,' Remus conceded. 'But the time turner stays. And at least one of us will be watching it. We can't afford another few months for Dumbledore to fix it.'

In the end, it was agreed that Remus and Peter would be guarding the time turner while the rest go fetch the Gryffindor Trio. They would leave tomorrow, and tonight, they would pour their hearts out because – because it might well be the last time they could do it.

With James, Lily and Sirius left, the room suddenly grew eerily quiet. Peter had been silent the whole time, looking dazedly at the time turner before him.

'I'm sorry, Pete,' Remus sat down beside him. 'We should've listened to you. It was a close call.'

Peter flinched as though he had been pulled out suddenly from his trance.

'What's up?' asked Remus quietly.

'Can't we –' Peter blurted out, like he had been holding it in forever and finally got the chance to say it. 'Can't we just stay?'

'You heard Dumbledore,' Remus gave a bitter laugh. 'It's less dangerous that way.'

'It's _not_!' shrieked Peter. 'It's less dangerous, yes, only from _his_ point of view –' his colour rose at once, fists curling and chest heaving – 'because everything would fall back into the old pattern with all of us dead or in prison or whatever he has been calculating on and only then _his_ plan would go as he wishes! It's the greater picture he cares, not us! How is it less dangerous, when we're forced back into the past only to head our designated fate? To him – to him, we're only the pawns he sacrificed in a chess game, of course "it's less dangerous that way"!'

It was as though a lightning had struck. Peter's words triggered something in Remus, but part of him was desperate to subdue that thought. He took a deep breath, trying to speak as calmly as he could. 'I s'pose you can see it that way, but,' he swallowed, 'it's a war. It's sad but it's the reality. And if we are attacked again –'

'So it's all about "ifs", innit,' Peter slammed his hand onto the desk. 'That's what's weakest about you, Remus,' said Peter spitefully, his jaw clenching. He never dared to speak to Remus like that when James and Sirius were around, never let out his most honest opinion especially those regarding Remus without being filtered. But here he was, daring and indignant. 'You never seek to defy. You succumb to life. We're not Dumbledore's little puzzles just for him to fit into his bloody scheme. We're _us,_ and we should have the right to do what we want. We're here by accident, sure, but since we're here anyway – why don't we stay and make the best of it? This could well be our second chance!'

'That's, that's not it,' A paralysis was going through Remus. He found it very hard to move his lips, or his face, or anything at all.

Peter's voice rose. 'If we stay, Harry would have his parents. If we stay, we would still be together. If only we stay –'

' _Stop this, Peter_ ,' Remus brought down a trembling hand onto the desk with a loud _bang_. He felt very cold, and he was shaking so badly that he was hardly able to stand. 'You don't know anything – you never think – if we were to stay, then Harry would never be born, and Voldemort would never be defeated –'

'Get stuffed, Remus,' Peter snarled. ' _I never think?_ Is that what you think of me?' –Remus flinched, regretting his words instantly –'What d'you think I've been doing this whole time when you all were away toying with your lives? Let me tell you this, since you think all the bloody time: what _has_ happened cannot be undone. The Butterfly Effect only applies only when one travels to the past but not the future. There are a million futures lying ahead, but not a million pasts. So while we stay in this future we choose, with us all alive and well, the birth of Harry Potter and the fall of Lord Voldemort cannot _unhappen_. The only exception is if we die by any unnatural means, it would render us physically non-existent in any dimension, thus altering the entire timeline. Dumbledore must know this if I was able to learn this as easily as picking up a library book in a wee's time, but he chooses not to tells us because this is exactly what he fears most – not his whole "changing the past" bullshit but us staying in the future. This would change his carefully designed plan – adding more possibilities and opening loopholes – and the old man doesn't like his plan disturbed, not even for the slightest bit.'

There was a ringing silence. Remus and Peter stared at each other like they could burn holes with eyes, Peter's chest heaving more heavily than ever and Remus's cogs in his brain struggling to turn. If what Peter said was true, if they did stay –

'Thank you for shutting up,' snapped Remus eventually. 'I needed the silence. Now leave me alone.' He made it past the desk and couch with some difficulty he hoped was not obvious enough for Peter to pick up. Grabbing his wand with him, he stormed out of the room, leaving Peter alone.

'Don't tell me you're not even slightly convinced, Lupin,' Peter's final words, icy and mocking, so unlike the usual harmless little brother he was, slipped through the closing walls as the Room of Requirement resealed itself. 'I saw through you long ago. You're not as righteous as people think you are.'

Remus slumped. He never had big fights with Peter, not like this before – he knew very well he crossed the bottom line, and he was the one who did it _first._ Friendship ends easily, and it often starts with small fissures like this. One day it will grow until it is large enough that the heart breaks in two. Acceptance and appreciation was what Peter valued most, and he had, very brutally, ripped it out of the boy who wanted them almost as badly as himself did.

He needed to think, to calm down. He would think, digest Peter's words, say it out loud that they were complete nonsense and convince himself that they indeed were, go back, apologise, make up and revive the time turner. He really thought he would when he saw two figures heading his direction, one with greasy shoulder-length hair and the other a ridiculous goatee, speaking in hushed voices.

He hid behind a column and listened.

 **A/N: Thank you for listening to my butterfly effect nonsense. I invented that just for this story. Physicists please don't go after me.**

 **Also if you haven't already guessed, I am not a fan of Dumbledore. I don't dislike him but he's too wise to the point of cold-hearted to be lovable.**


	25. Karma from the Past

Snape and Karkaroff brushed past the column. Although their paces were light and slow, and their voices low, their demeanor was everything but calm. Karkaroff's face was ashen grey, his yellow teeth showing under where his goatee curled up.

'Severus –'

'I've told you enough times, Igor,' hissed Snape. 'Flee, if that's your final decision. I, however, am remaining at Hogwarts.'

'But didn't you see –?' Igor Karkaroff sounded almost like he was pleading. 'It's never been clearer –'

Despite himself, Remus stuck his head out just a little to see Karkaroff pull up the sleeve of his left arm. To his horror, a giant serpent was crawling its way out of a skull, spiraling on the inner side of Karkaroff's forearm. He blinked a few times, and it became clear to him that it was a livid tattoo – but that was not any better than the notion of a real snake slithering out from a skull on the arm of the Durmstrang Headmaster – the pattern was as dark as Karkaroff's bloodless face was white.

'Well?' Karkaroff pressed on. 'Don't pretend you don't know what that means! You know very well –'

'You heard what I said,' Snape replied curtly. 'Flee, and I'll make your excuses.' Without waiting for an answer, he spun on his heels with a wave of his cloak.

Karkaroff made a move to clutch onto Snape's arm. 'Do you think I don't know what's with the new transfer students?'

Remus gave a start, his legs threatening to give out. At the same time, Snape whipped around so quickly that he was only a blur of darkness merging into the shadow.

'I do not interfere with the school administrative affairs.'

'Bollocks. You've been keeping them alive!'

'And what are you trying to suggest?' said Snape, his tone murderous and icy.

'I'm saying,' Karkaroff said slowly, 'that you've been keeping the Potters, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew alive. I've fought them enough times that I can recognise them even in my sleep. Why do you do that?'

There was a moment's silence. Snape stared at Karkaroff with his beady eyes, and Remus was afraid that the men would hear his loud heartbeats. If Karkaroff had recognised them – had he reported them? Was he the one who tipped off the Ministry –?

'They're my students,' said Snape, breaking the silence, his face hardening. 'If you are to question my loyalty, Igor, I'm afraid you have no right to do so seeing that you are here yourself as _Headmaster of Durmstrang_. Do you think the Dark Lord never thought through everything before he sent me here? If it wasn't for me, how would you have known – say, where Caradoc Dearborn was the night you were promoted?'

 _Caradoc Dearborn._ The name had not rung a bell with Remus. He might've seen it somewhere – school magazines, girls' gossips, James's weekly Quidditch preaching – nevertheless, Snape's ominous question sent a chill up his spine.

'So,' Karkaroff's voice harshened at once, his bony hands shot up at Snape's sleeves again. 'It's true, isn't it? He has returned. I've been right about this all along.'

'I never suggested anything,' Snape replied in an equally harsh tone. 'I'm merely stating my reasons for my actions involved. Why, are you trying to blackmail me?' He sneered, and Karkaroff gritted his teeth with a hiss. 'I suspected as much, that coming from a coward like you. You'd kept your mouth shut for so long up till now – let me guess, because you feared you'd be dragged into this all again after a decade of rebuilding your reputation? And now, you're using this against me for the very same thing you are fleeing from? How ironic.'

Karkaroff's chest rose and fell with each of his heavy breaths. For a moment, Remus thought he saw a flick of green light across his eyes, but Snape did not back down or move the slightest.

'I, I merely –' words were forced to slip out of Karkaroff's thin lips, which were trembling against his goatee. 'I merely think that it would be easier killing them off than preserving the original past. Then we wouldn't have to go through all this …'

Karkaroff's voice trailed off as Snape took a step closer to him.

'The only past you wish to erase,' said Snape, 'was your stepping into this mucky water and never getting to leave. There is still time to flee, Igor, and my offer still stands. I won't hold your rudeness against me, but I'm not sure our _counterparts_ will forgive your swing of loyalty.'

Snape turned, and this time Karkaroff didn't stop him. He stood on the spot, his face changing colours every few seconds, looking like he was doing a lot of calculating. It wasn't until the Durmstrang Headmaster had disappeared from sight that Remus dared to move.

He bolted for the Gryffindor Common Room. He needed to tell his friends, to alert them – that there was at least one current Death Eater in the castle, and whether he was the one who had been behind this all along, it did not matter – he had known who they were and was eager to kill them. And there was also Snape, who was mysterious (and nasty) as ever and who Remus couldn't tell where his loyalty lay –

He knew something went wrong before the brick walls swung fully aside. The table where the time turner had been was empty. Peter was nowhere to be seen.

'Peter!' Remus called. He looked around, his wand out and shaking. He was still angry with Peter, but he did not mean him any harm. When he rounded the corner, he gasped, for he spotted the stout body behind the sofa, one arm outstretched and bent at a weird angle.

'Peter! Peter!' Remus lunged at the still body. He checked the pulse, which was roaring with life, to his relief; there were also no visible wounds and damage except the broken arm. It seemed that Peter only fainted. But what had happened in the short period of time when Remus was absent?

Remus was still reeling in shock when the door opened. Sirius, James and Lily had returned from talking to Harry.

'He will come over tonight, they landed in a detention earlier. I don't know, can he sneak out? McGonagall's got a sharp eye…'

They stopped talking when they saw Remus and Peter. They were frantic, much like Remus was when he came in, and only after Remus informed them of Peter's condition did they quiet down. There was no need to see Madam Pomfrey, they swiftly decided; they would just wait for Peter to come around. In the meantime, however, there was a more critical problem to deal with, and none of them wanted to start it first.

Eventually, it was Remus who broke the silence. He told them how he and Peter had argued, how he had walked out in rage, but he held back the details of the row. There was something, something about Peter's words that echoed with a small part of him, which he most certainly did not want to encourage. So he buried it in the back of his mind for the time being.

No one demanded an apology, but he didn't initiate to apologise either. He did not want to think about _whose_ fault it was, and he was sick of being the one who kept on apologising even though he, truth be told, was at least partly responsible for Peter's injury and the disappearance of the time turner.

What was even more depressing was that there was no use in trying to _Accio_ the time turner. It had simply vanished into thin air, _gone_ ; as if it had never been in the room at all.

'We'll ask Pete later,' said James tiredly at last. Remus lurked in the shadow of the bed, staring hard at the floor. 'Harry doesn't need to come tonight. We're not leaving, after all. Let's rest a bit tonight and face Dumbledore tomorrow.'

'Well,' said Lily after a while. 'At least nobody gets seriously injured. Consider it a blessing, really.'

* * *

Peter didn't remember anything, to almost no one's surprise. When they told Dumbledore about it, the old man simply nodded and asked them to follow the usual protocol (stay safe, don't go wandering etc) without making any further comments.

'I think he's expected it somehow,' Hermione whispered during lunch. 'He must have imagined the worst scenario. Like Lily said, it's already very lucky that it's only the time turner that disappeared.' She hadn't said it out loud, but the meaning was clear: _it was very lucky that it was not you who disappeared._

'He shouldn't have given us the time turner like that,' Lily sighed. 'It wasn't safe at all…'

Hermione shook her head. 'It was supposed to be very safe, actually,' she said. 'The fact that you can't _Accio_ a time turner means that it is anti-summoning, and is possibly coupled with other protective charms as well. And the room itself is even more secretive…' She trailed off and shrugged. Sirius glanced at her through his fringe and turned to Remus, who slouched instantly. He was afraid to find accusation in his eyes.

'What if you're stuck here forever?' Ron worried at his bottom lip. 'James and Lily would not have married, and then Harry wouldn't have…' his words faded away in a sob.

This made Remus want to clear things up, to cheer up the crowd, to _redeem_. 'I think,' he said, raising his voice a little. 'I think that – might not be the case.' He stilled, willing himself to remain calm. He felt Peter drew in a breath, and the burning sensation of Sirius's gaze on him. Skillfully he reworded what Peter had filled him in, which he had checked was indeed stated in a dozen of books he found in the restricted section during the day.

'I think this is already a different future that we're heading the moment we rolled up to this world. What exists, exists, what happened, happened. This is a parallel universe that exists side by side with the original future where we did not come here at all. Think of it as a y-shaped timeline – the tail of the Y is the past, and here, where the two branches come off is where the future deviates from the original timeline...' Looks of wonder and understanding appeared on the teen's faces, and Remus felt encouraged. 'But of course, it's best we don't mess up the time. I'm only saying this is another option we have now that we've lost the time turner,' he quickly added.

Hermione frowned as she listened. It wasn't until Remus finished that she spoke. 'That's what I've read as well, I don't doubt that. But if you remember what we did in third year with our Sirius –' the time travellers nodded, recalling the adventurous tale – 'then it seems to me that time travelling works in a casual loop – anything a time traveller does in the past must have been part of history all along, and it is the combined results of the original timeline _and_ the act of travelling that create the future we have now. When we were in Hagrid's hut just before Buckbeak's execution, a stone shot through the window. It turned out that it was actually Harry and I going back and throwing the stone. You see, us travelling to the past did not in fact change the future. It was simply there all along.'

'Yes, but we're not in the past now. We're in the future,' Peter's weak voice came through the noises in the Hall. James cast a _Muffliato_ around them swiftly, and only then did they dare to speak up. 'So maybe Remus's explanation works better in our case,' squeaked Peter.

Hermione shrugged, but the spilt gravy on her robes suggested that she was pondering over the other explanation. The Marauders were silent as well. Remus shifted in his seat, victory bubbling in his stomach despite himself. He had left out the bits about the suspicion of Dumbledore lying to them; that would make him sound whiny and unconvincing.

 _Maybe Peter is right,_ he sighed inwardly. _I do feel good about us probably have to stay because I want to start a new life, and not be the poor, shabby werewolf professor that exists in Harry's memory. I want the same for my friends as well._

Harry had not spoken a word the whole time. He had looked surprised and dazed when Remus did the explanation, and plaintive when it was Hermione's turn. Suddenly, he dropped his fork on his plate, making a loud clink that got everyone's attention. 'Sounds to me you both make sense –'

'Harry! These explanations are _mutually exclusive!_ '

'I know, I know,' said Harry, both his hands in the air. 'But like you said, if history is there all along – then it wouldn't matter if they've lost the time turner, right? 'Cause they'll get back eventually. History is history. And if it's what Remus suggested, than that's even better, isn't it? I'm now living with my mum and dad, and my godfather and their best friends. It's mega wicked _great_!'

His face split into a wide smile. James's and Remus's did too; James looked proud and amazed like he was going to burst into tears; Remus bit back a hearty laugh, acting like it was not at all what he was trying to get at all along. He felt Peter's look on him again, and he turned away.

'But why did you risk us?'

Sirius asked quietly in his seat, but no one heard him except Remus. It was a rather odd, completely-out-of-context question, so Remus decided to put that in the back of his mind for the moment.

* * *

Something changed. Remus could feel it in his skin, but he couldn't tell what exactly had changed. He knew it wasn't a positive change even with James and Harry on board (without them knowing) with the idea of staying back; It was a snare hidden in long grass, a whirlpool in the deep sea, sucking out whatever that had been right between them.

He was with Sirius in Potions this time, and miraculously, Snape hadn't said a word. The Potions master was as sullen as ever, only he was even more snappish than he normally was. Perhaps he was fretting about Karkaroff, Remus thought (he hadn't a chance to tell his friends about Snape and Karkaroff yet), and he even caught him staring at blank space when they busied themselves with the potion.

'Si –' he called and stopped midway only to find the seat empty. Neville was cleaning his cauldron happily on the next bench. He didn't blow it up this time.

'I saw him leave,' Neville said, humming a tune, looking very pleased with his work. 'I figure I'll pass this final assignment. Reckon this will be on the exam?'

'P'raps,' Remus replied with half a heart. Sirius would always wait for him to finish when they partnered; he knew Remus sucked at Potions. Sometimes they would clean the spillage or scrub the cauldron together; whatever Hell Slughorn put Remus in, Sirius would always walked it through with him.

'He finished his potion half an hour ago,' Neville supplied. 'Oh, and your ladle's on the floor.'

'Alright, thanks for telling me – and this,' said Remus as he bent to pick up the ladle, his mind a void, knocking the cauldron off on the way and spilling the remaining potion all around.

'Twenty points from Gryffindor!' Snape roared behind him.

* * *

When McGonagall repeated her monthly speech on the importance of laying down foundation for OWLs as early as now, the time travellers no longer found it funny. Before James and Sirius would send Harry sympathetic glances, for they would well be back before the exams; but of course, anything was possible now. The only thing they could do was work hard like any other fourth-years while waiting for Dumbledore's instructions.

'… cross-culture Divination from India teaches us that, karma is the interlinking of cause and effect, and often presents as the intent and action and the influence on the future of an individual…'

Trelawney was preaching in her dreamy voice again, trying her best to stuff her boundless knowledge in her student before the finals. Remus was half-dozing, his arm brushing past Sirius's, who was sleeping soundly on the round table. They hadn't talked in a while since the disappearance of the time turner. There were rings under his eyes now, which Remus was sure were not there before. Sirius had brushed off his concern, saying it was the heavy workload that caused them, but Remus knew better: Sirius was never bothered by his studies. He could skive off every class and still get top marks.

'…good intent and good deeds contribute to future happiness, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to future suffering. The Karmic cycle continues eternally – in the past, in future, in death, in rebirth …'

He thought of the older Sirius, his older self and the dead Potters. And Peter. And Harry, and the whole of the Wizarding World. Karkaroff wanted to break his cycle. He wanted to flee, from Voldemort and his past, but Snape had made it clear that it was impossible. Once a Death Eater, forever a Death Eater.

What did his own Karmic cycle have in store for him, then? Shunned and hated and prejudiced against for as long as he existed? Fine, but what about his friends –? They were not like him; but one by one, they collapsed. Why, had they not suffered enough in their past life? Was there really no escape? Was it really that much of a transgression to go against fate and seek a new life _for them all?_

 _Why is Sirius making such a fuss? I'm helping us all!_ A small voice shouted in him. _As if I wanted to lose the time turner on purpose –!_

To be fair, he could tell that most his friends were actually quite happy with the suggestion of staying back. James, Harry and Ron were obviously thrilled; Lily wouldn't admit it, but her shining eyes gave her away. Opposing them was Hermione, and possibly Sirius, since he hadn't said anything and was acting very strange recently. And Peter –

 _Oh._ Remus almost forgot about him. Now he thought about it, Peter was actually his ally from the start – no, he was the _invisible leader_ of team stay, to be precise. He was the one who was most opposed to Dumbledore's original plan, the one who first had doubts, first looked up theories, and first suggested that they all stay here. If anyone had made a transgression first – it was Peter, not him. But Peter had been quiet, and it was Remus who had been doing all the talking. From his friends' perspective, it indeed seemed like Remus was desperate to stay from day one.

Only he wasn't.

A benign thought that had been lurking in his mind came to life; and honestly, it scared him.


	26. Remus's Woes

The full moon drew nearer. Never in a million years would Remus foresee that it was not the moon that would ruin him, but the last few days of supposed saneness before.

'You don't have to go with me. With the Wolfsbane Potion, I can keep my human mind,' he said one evening. 'It's best that you stay here.'

'But it's even more dangerous if you go alone!' protested James.

Remus shook his head. 'Moody will be escorting me. Pomfrey will get me out if I can't do it myself. Y'know, like the old times.'

'I don't like the idea of you going to the Shack alone, even with… a teacher,' said Peter. He looked very timid. After what it seemed that he had done some serious pondering, he said again, 'Perhaps you can just transform here –'

'Absolutely not!' Remus brought his fist down to the desk. With the moon waxing, his temper became nastier day by day. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. 'Sorry,' he said, softening his voice, 'I understand you worry about me, but you know very well that I'm a great threat even with the potion.'

'It's just a suggestion, seeing this is the Room of Requirement and all that…' said Peter in a small voice, eventually trailing off into silence.

'I'll use James's Cloak, if that's alright…?' With a noncommittal shrug, Remus turned to James for approval, who was torn between thinking very hard and making a grimace that said 'Of bloody course, Moony, since when do you have to ask?' Just as the silence was stretching a bit too long, Sirius stood up from the couch he had been slumping against.

'Why won't you let us go with you?'

It had been some time since Remus last heard him, and it made him ecstatic, relieved and sad that the other boy was finally willing to talk. But there was something in his voice – barbed and almost venomous – that planted the seeds of fear in Remus. So reigning in his boiling emotions, he weighed his words carefully. 'It's dangerous. I told you.'

'As simple as that?'

'What do you mean?' Remus asked, standing up as well. 'Don't you trust me?'

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew they were heading a direction which neither of them was willing to admit to have gone towards but have always been heading, whether they knew it or not. Remus had always been observant, even so before the full moon; and Sirius's alarming manner told him that it wasn't just the arrangement of the full moon he was talking about. His thoughts wandered back to before they stopped talking, before everything, and finally stopped at when Dumbledore met them in this very room right after their escape from the hands of the Ministry. Sirius had said something – and he had interjected and cut him off –

 _'But they couldn't have known,' said Sirius loudly. 'No one else knows about it except Harry and us. Unless –'_

 _Unless one of us gave away the location of the cave?_

 _No!_ Remus's inner voice screamed. _Someone else knew. Not just Harry and us. Ron knew. Hermione knew – Peter knew as well –_

'You cannot _not_ trust me,' Remus answered for Sirius, but his voice grew breathy and weak. He was too afraid to hear what Sirius might say.

But Sirius was way ahead of him. 'Don't you think,' Sirius said, clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles went bloodless, 'that this has happened enough times already? We around you, listening to your cobblers?'

' _Cobblers_?' Remus raged, finally snapping. The scary thought that had been bubbling took a solid form. 'So you think I was –'

But he was unable to finish his sentence. With an imaginary stab to his chest, he realised the situation he had got himself in; there was no escape. He was the only one on the scene when the time turner disappeared – or so he was from the others' perspective. It didn't matter whether he really was there, because James, Sirius and Lily were out in the Great Hall, and Peter was injured; unconscious. _But how could it be?_ – He was indeed out eavesdropping on Snape and Karkaroff! – _Can anyone prove that? –_

'Have been,' Sirius corrected with an accuracy that pieced through Remus's heart and cut it in half. 'It's the saddest part, really.' He let out a mirthless laugh. 'You didn't only do it once, Remus, you have always been doing it. Last time, the Ministry –'

'Why do you think it was me?' Remus blurted out, his tears spilling. 'Everybody in this room knew we were going to the cave. Even Peter –'

'Peter did not!' Sirius's voice was so shrill that Peter's terrified gasp was drowned out by it. 'The letter to Harry only said as much about where to find the dog instead of the exact location. How could he have known there was a cave when he wasn't physically with us?' – Remus choked, and watched tears that were as shiny as his streamed down Sirius's face – 'You know what? I tried convincing myself it wasn't you at first. I really did. But when things like that keeps happening – first the Ministry, then the time turner – if it's not me, not James, not Lily, and not Peter, then who was it?'

'I'm not saying that Peter lied – but he –' Remus hiccupped, struggling to form an argument. Never had he felt so betrayed, so lonely on the verge of truth. Because of Peter, he went out of the Room of Requirement. Because of Peter, he started thinking about staying back – yet the other boy couldn't – was unable to – even defend him when he needed a defendant most. What was worse was that he had literally been discussing the possibility of staying in the future just the other day when the time turner had disappeared. Oh, if only someone would believe him!

'Stop putting the blame on Peter!' Sirius banged on the table, as if sensing where Remus's thoughts were. 'His arm was broken – he _fainted_! Are you saying that he knocked himself out and bent his arm?' He wiped away the sweat and tears, his face contorting. 'I don't want to believe this, but I don't know what is what anymore. I am honestly not prepared for another _letter_ to pop up, saying that you were communicating with Merlin knows who and _hiding the time turner_ –'

There, he finally said it. Time had frozen suddenly, the words hanging in the air – and then, like a roller coaster just before it plunges down, they hit – right in the stomach. It was a direct blow, heavy and stifling.

'I did not,' said Remus, his voice quivering with the rest of him, 'take away the time turner. You don't know what happened. It was Peter who suggested we stay … I was merely – convincing him – about not doing that. It wasn't my idea – yes, now it is, but it wasn't then – and then I walked out, and I eavesdropped on Snape and Karkaroff –'

He bit on his tongue harshly, cutting off his own rambling, because it was moving on its own despite his control. What was the use now? No one wanted to know about Snape and Karkaroff. They only made his story more implausible.

'Go on!' Sirius shouted. 'What about Snape and Karkaroff? Did they elope?'

Blood was oozing from where Remus's teeth bit into his lip. He whipped around silently and stormed towards his bed, kicking down a chair in the process. There was a bone-grating sound, and his shin felt as though a fireball exploded and was snaking its way down the ankle. But he did not as much as let out a groan.

Nor did anyone hold him back.

* * *

Remus was in a constant state between wake and sleep for the next few days. He functioned methodically – woke in time, ate in time, slept in time, _smiled in time_ , _even_ – when Harry and James told him a joke; but it was just that: he lived like a robot.

'Lupin!' Moody's growl broke his trance. ' _Constant vigilance!_ If you can't even concentrate in class, how would you be able to fight off an attacker?'

Remus mumbled an apology and turned to Peter in hurry, who he had been sticking with these days. Not that Peter offered extra comfort, but there was something about him that made Remus think that he had a different idea than the rest (mostly just Sirius; James and Lily were so far civil). Most importantly, Peter had not distance himself away from him, and he needed the support.

'Moody asked you to come up,' Peter whispered, shaking him slightly.

'Right,' Remus replied, emptying his mind and concentrating, ready for the Imperius Curse from Moody. It was their last practice before the finals. Normally, Remus was among one of the most competent students in class, but today's task had proved to be extremely challenging. No matter how hard he tried, there was still something in his mind that he could not empty away.

 _Bend… Bend your knees and jump…_

– Ron jabbed his fork into his sausage. Sirius choked on his lemonade, laughing –

 _Bend now! Yes, take a leap…_

– he was writing to his parents in the Owlery. The night was clear and starless, and stuffy –

 _Take another leap! Take –_

 _Thump!_ Remus felt a sharp pain on his chin. The voice that had been commanding him was gone, and he snapped back into reality only to find himself sprawled on the floor, his chin landing right on a sharp edge.

'Pathetic,' growled Moody. 'I don't care what you've been through that affected your performance, and neither will your attacker.' His magical eye swiveled in the socket as he raised his voice and said, 'Comment from the class? Yes, Abbot?'

'It's obvious that Lupin has made an effort to defend the curse, as we could see that he had been hesitant to jump. It is probably due to the lack of concentration that he failed,' answered Hannah Abbot.

'Hear that?' Moody eyed Remus coolly. 'And you will not make the same mistake again, not when you still have me as your teacher.'

Peter held their books under his arm as they trudged out of the classroom. The fall to the floor had only added to the pre-moon aches, and despite Remus's protests, Peter saw to it that his lesson things were taken care of.

'Now you understand how I feel,' said Peter wryly. 'I am the only one among us who still can't fight off the Imperius.'

'At least you're not under suspicion from your closest friends,' said Remus sourly.

Peter went quiet. 'He'll come around,' he finally said.

'You don't think I took away the time turner?' asked Remus in surprise.

'I don't know,' Peter worried at his bottom lip, 'but there are many things that we don't know. Can't jump to conclusions.' He paused and waited until a group of Hufflepuffs were out of earshot. 'Sometimes, I rather wish that I am kept in the dark so that I don't see the dirty business behind closed doors.'

'Of course,' said Remus. If Peter thought that he had made him feel better, he was wrong, but at least he made it clear that he did not want to know even if Remus did betray them, which Remus appreciated. So he shrugged. 'If Sirius doesn't jump to conclusions, he's not Sirius.'

Peter agreed.

* * *

Later, when night was tender and Remus was alone in his four-poster bed, the curtains tightly shut, far from the starlight, the castle and the human chaos outside, he wept. Suddenly he realised that he was not the only one awake; voices were coming through, and he quieted down.

'… what's wrong with you?' He heard James talking, his exasperation apparent. 'Forgive me. You are never one for wisdom, but I'll never forget one wise thing the future you said: trust is our greatest weapon. I never understand –'

'What don't you understand?' Sirius (no surprise) all but snarled. 'This is a betrayal. Surely I have repeated myself enough times –'

'Then tell me, why do you think he did all that?'

'He wants to stay! Start a new life! Are you stupid?'

James let out a sigh, which was weird, thought Remus, because James was rarely that plaintive and serious. 'If that's your only reason, then I'm afraid we all are way more suspicious than he ever will be. You see, Sirius,' – there were sounds of fabric ruffling and crumpling as James shifted – 'he's the only one alive out of the five of us. Well, you too, but maybe you wish you weren't.'

'Seems like the future me has got a different idea,' Sirius retorted.

'He has Harry,' replied James glumly. Silence stretched, and then it was interrupted again. 'If you suspect Remus, then you have all the more reasons to suspect me. Because I want the best for Harry. I want to live, not any less than Remus wants to change his fate.'

James didn't know, but Remus's throat tightened. James and Sirius were both the most important people to him in their own ways. He had not been so sure if James saw him the same way, though; sometimes he wondered if he was only an appendage to the famous duo. But tonight, without his realising, James showed Remus his most precious side. He defended him. He trusted him. _Despite everything._

'S'not the same –'

'No, it's not. And… I don't know whether I should say it, but…' said James, cutting Sirius off, sounding unsure. 'I think you trust me because you're sure that I trust you no matter what …'

'I'd die for you,' said Sirius immediately. The ghost of a memory flickered in the dark, and Remus hastened to extinguish it. He didn't want to feel the warmth it brought only to have his insides scalded, not when they had just adapted to the cold.

'… but you are never brave enough to trust Remus completely because you're not sure he'll do the same. You're scared of giving out what you might not have back,' James continued.

'Bollocks. D'you even know what you're talking about?'

'I might not,' came James's reply. 'But you're not hard to read. You see him differently than the rest of us.' He stopped, gathering his thoughts. 'You're cautious – you take a step forward, and then you take three steps back, as if something might happen out of line anytime. A healthy relationship should not work like that.'

Sirius was silent.

'Is it because he's a werewolf?' James prompted.

The silence became heavier as it lengthened, just as the hollow in Remus's chest grew larger by each second.

'D'you know what hurts me most? 'Sirius finally said. His voice was shaky and muffled. Remus could easily imagine him sprawling on bed and burying his face in the pillow. 'It hurts me most that he would plot everything behind our backs and risk our safety and never talk to us what he wants. If he would just tell us –'

There was an abrupt silence. They were quiet for a while, and when Sirius spoke again, his voice was so sharp that it pierced the early summer air and startled Remus.

'If he would only tell us – that he wanted to stay, Merlin, I would eat the time turner for him and never let Dumbledore find it.' Voice cracks punctuated his sentence, and Remus's heart broke piece by piece again along with it. It was obvious that Sirius was trying to not let his voice rise too much when the emotion was too much to be contained in just a whisper. 'You're right, I'm scared. He's too good a liar. His Hogwarts letter came with a lie to start with – _'_

' _Silencio,_ ' Remus found himself say. He decided that he had heard enough.

So it all came down to his identity – no matter what he looked like, no matter what he did – he was still automatically suspect number one on Sirius's list because he was a werewolf. All these years, of being a Marauder, of being friends – it meant nothing.

So he cried, this time loud and longed to be heard. Because if his friends couldn't hear him, at least the wind that swept through the charm and into the summer night could.

* * *

'– his Hogwarts letter came with a lie to start with –'

Sirius was saying on the other side of the silencing charm. James was peering at him, the light from his wand tip lit up from below his chin, casting ghostly shadows onto their faces.

' – but I wish he doesn't have to lie anymore. I wish he would just appreciate how strong he is and be proud of himself, that he would rebel in the open, right under Dumbledore's nose – and not lie and hide and shut down until we no longer know him. Is it too much to ask?

James did not have an answer for that.


	27. The Maze

A few more months passed, and June was here in the blink of an eye. The teenagers did not get on very well, one must say; on top of all the stress Harry was having for the third task, which had been revealed by Bagman that it would be held in a maze built from the Quidditch Pitch, he had had a weird encounter with Mr Crouch in the woods and dreams that made his scar hurt. The rest of the group were not any better; they had to prepare for exams while helping Harry train and worried about themselves.

The third task fell on the last day of their exam (it was Potions). Students would go straight to the pitch for the grand finale, all their stress and anxiety relieved in the exciting event. However, it was not the case for the time travellers; their fear increased tenfold at this eventful dawn. They were banished from the Tournament and escorted back to the Room of Requirement by Snape, which was why Lily, James and Sirius were the only ones in the castle while the whole school was down at the pitch. Remus took his exams according to a timetable specially designed for him to avoid crashing with the full moon, and today, he had been resting in the Hospital Wing after the transformation last night. But that did not explain why the fourth Marauder wasn't present – Peter had been missing.

'You will stay where you are,' said Snape with a green face, a vein pulsing in his temple.

'Is that your arm hurting, Sir? Didn't know you had arthritis at thirty-four.' Sirius lashed out mercilessly at the potions master, who had been rubbing on his left forearm since the start of the day.

Snape was pacing up and down, growing even more restless. 'Miss Evans,' he said again, his voice barely audible through his clenched jaws, 'please stay where you are with your classmates. I am hoping that the only sensible student here will reign in the wild horses.'

'I will try, professor,' Lily's jaw was equally tight, 'but I can hardly focus when one of us is missing and my son's out there.'

A long pause followed, reminding everyone of the gloominess of the situation. The time travellers didn't so much as ask where Peter was – where else could he be, anyway? It would not be an exaggeration to say, as unwilling as they were to admit it, that they had expected something to happen on the day of the third task. It was the last event of the Tournament, and having something _big_ only seemed reasonable, as if everything that had happened had been a buildup for this moment all along.

Snape had cast a number of impediment charms on the entrance before he finally left to supervise the task. It would be impossible to spill a drop of water out of this room, let alone sneaking out.

'Leave it, will you,' Lily pulled out a thread from the rug and tried to put it back absent-mindedly, 'Dumbledore knows what to do.'

'Does he,' Sirius was sitting sullenly in a corner, his chin on his knees, 'I'm not sure Peter is anywhere on his mind right now. He hasn't exactly done anything after Re – the time turner disappeared. Don't you see that we can't rely on him anymore? If we want to find Peter, we need to _do it ourselves_.'

James let out a laugh. 'How?'

The answer revealed itself uninvited. Once again, the power of magic amazed them. Only a second ago, the wall next to the fireplace had been smooth, unblemished; a second later, a door with marble frame appeared out of nowhere, as if it had always been there and was never noticed by the room's occupants.

Lily let out an almost inaudible gasp. 'If there's anything I desperately want to thank Dumbledore for, it's his decision to put us in the Room of Requirement.'

Five minutes later found them standing in the centre of the room, looking around, making sure they had packed everything that mattered. James had grabbed his Cloak and a broom, saying that it would be quicker to reach the pitch flying. Without waiting any longer, they swung open the door and climbed right through. It was a steep tunnel with stairs made of stones, each stair at least five inches tall so that when James took a step down, he was almost a head shorter than Lily. Clearly, the flight of stairs would lead them down and hopefully anywhere nearest to the path to the outdoor pitch.

The Room did not disappoint them. They climbed out from an alcove just behind the Great Hall where a painting of a knight became the portal. Just opposite the alcove, there was another painting with curtains that was probably the way to the Quidditch Pitch. Sirius and James were busy consoling the grumbling knight who threatened to run straight to the Headmaster's office when the sound of someone skidding on the floor and heaving came.

'You can't go!' called a voice behind them. They whirled around to find Hermione and Ron, who were breathing rapidly and red in the face.

'Stop! Don't go!' cried Hermione. 'I know where you are going, and I know what you're going to do. But you can't.'

'Why not?' asked James. He tried very hard not to stun Ron and Hermione. He would be very sorry to do that, but he was genuinely panicked.

'You know why!'

'Yes, we know very well it is probably a trap,' Lily said before Hermione finished. 'But Peter is our friend. We can't just let him rot in the maze, can we?' When Ron made an attempt to speak, Lily shook her head. 'No. We came together, and we leave together. There's no room for discussion. He's our friend.'

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. Ron nudged Hermione, and, taking a deep breath, Hermione took a step forward. 'They won't hurt Pettigrew,' she said, and James couldn't help but notice the use of first name, 'because he's not your friend. We – we have been holding this back long enough, it's time you know the truth. I'm afraid there's something you need to know that will probably change your opinion about him.'

James looked around. There was no objection from his friends, and so he made a gesture that said 'Go head.' At the same time, his fingers on his wand tightened. He would stun them once he detected any attempt of stalling. Time was running out.

'Pettigrew is alive in our time,' said Ron, his voice squeaky. 'He is a death eater who betrayed the Potters, sold them out to Voldemort, which directly led to the deaths of James and Lily Potter. Had it not been him, Harry wouldn't have been orphaned, and you'd been alive.'

Of all things, this was not what James had expected.

'Our Sirius told us himself,' Hermione added with a sigh, 'do you think he'd make things up for fun?'

'But, but –' Sirius spluttered. He seemed to be unable to process the information, or to form a coherent sentence at all. 'You could've … didn't have to choose this moment…'

'This is exactly why I chose to tell you this moment because it is possible that Pettigrew has been helping them all along even before his ultimate betrayal.' Hermione bit her lip, her expression sorry but not regretful. 'I know you suspect Remus was behind all your attacks. But having been told what happened during the first war and seeing how history is repeating itself, let me convince you that it could have been Pettigrew instead.'

She flicked her wand, holding it like a pen, and sprinkling words appeared in the air and eventually formed a few sentences.

'The prophecy,' Lily whispered. Indeed, it was Trelawney's prophecy, the one she made when Snape escorted them back to the Defence classroom, the one about the return of Voldemort's trusted followers which was born light but turned evil.

Some sort of understanding began to solidify in the James's mind. It really could be anyone else, but if Hermione was telling the truth – which she had no reason not to – Peter fit the description perfectly. Still, it was a far-fetched conclusion since a lot of people fit the description. It was a very vague description, after all.

'Truth is, Pettigrew framed Sirius, faked his own death, and led people to suspect it was Remus who betrayed the Potters during the First War. It's too much of a coincidence not to think it's exactly what's happening,' breathed Ron, 'it's far too easy to eliminate Pettigrew from the list just because he fainted when the time turner disappeared. He could very well have done this on purpose to convince you it wasn't him.'

'Oh please, we've been down this path before.' Sirius was on the verge of growling, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. 'Remus –'

'Why would Remus steal the time turner? In fact, I have a much better reason to back up my suspicion of Pettigrew,' said Hermione shrewdly. 'Imagine if you were Pettigrew and if you somehow knew the truth – would you want your friends to know? Would you want to go back to a time when you would do exactly what you don't want to do? The only solution is, of course, to prevent you from returning so that you'll all be alive and no one will betray a single soul. This motive alone is strong enough to make him fake a faint and take away the time turner and do everything that would lead you to the truth –such as talking to the older Sirius.'

Hermione's words were magical. There had been dots with large, dark pits around them, and now Hermione had bridged the gap and James could finally see reason. Not that he agreed with all of them, but then – it made sense. He had never agreed with Sirius on his suspicion of Remus. Though asking him to accept the other explanation was still too hard a task to accomplish. He was never good at having doubts.

Turning around, he could see that Lily and Sirius were equal in their thoughts. Lily's face was passive, unfathomable, but Sirius's showed everything. There was disbelief, anger, hurt, panic, confusion – and guilt. What he was guilty about, this James was quite sure – after all, Sirius's last conversation with Remus hadn't been exceptionally pleasant.

'Have you made your decision?' James's trance was broken by Hermione's question. She and Ron were wringing their hands together.

James looked at Sirius, and Sirius looked back at James. Sirius was trembling visibly, his mouth hanging half open but not making a sound as several expressions flickered across his face at once. Lily looked James squarely in the eye, and then, at last, he nodded.

'I think we're going,' said Lily quietly, and Ron slumped like a deflating balloon. 'Thank you for telling us the truth.' She sounded tired, too tired for a teenager, but at this particular moment she knew more than a life ahead. 'We should never have known what lies in the future. At fourteen, Peter is still our friend, and what he does in the future does not affect our decision to help the fourteen-year-old him.'

'I agree,' said James as he slowly began pulling over the Invisibility Cloak, 'I'm ever so grateful to have met these pricks' – he smiled bitterly – ' and if we have only now to be friends, then we must treasure every second of it.'

He had not understood Lily's attitude back then; her near optimism in regard to their deaths and what became of Harry was pure nonsense to him, but now he did. Even if anything happened to them, at least he remembered Harry, Ron and Hermione and the bond they once shared between the Marauders.

Hermione sighed. 'I understand.' There was a long pause, after which she added quietly, 'I would've done the same for Harry and Ron.'

It took some effort to pull Sirius away, who was still rooted to the spot, brooding and gaping. And before James wrapped the Cloak around themselves entirely, Sirius's stuck out his head and pressed a coin into Ron's palm. 'Please don't alert the teachers, or any others, or _Remus_ ,' he said, his eyes sparkling, 'we have had enough trouble getting rid of Snape.' Hermione flinched, and he quickly reassured: 'Well, no one knows if Peter's really in the maze, ha ha. Just' – he swallowed – 'give this to Remus and see him for us? I haven't checked on him after moon since our row.'

Ron was asking 'What's this for?' but the time travellers had already disappeared, the curtain swaying in the evening breeze. They had gone into the tunnel.

* * *

'Stay tight and close,' said James at the very front, steering the broom. Sirius was behind him, Lily at last. The broom was enlarged, but it could hardly accommodate three people.

It was midsummer, the sky was clear and the whole Hogwarts ground was alive. As they neared the Quidditch Pitch, sounds of cheering and applauding echoed in the valley. But none of these could curb the chilliness the broom riders felt in the pit of their stomachs. They were high up in the sky, the Pitch, now transformed into a maze, was three hundred metres directly under their feet.

They had thought entering the maze by flying would be easy, and clearly, they were wrong. The closer it was to the centre of the maze, the less they could make out a walkable path, let alone seeing whether Peter was inside. Every time James selected a path and made a dive, the maze looked different than it was just a moment ago.

'I wish we had the map,' said Lily against the wind.

James wiped away the sweat on his forehead. 'We didn't exactly have a choice, did we? The tunnel led us straight to the p – wait, is that – HOLD TIGHT!'

He made a sharp dive. At once, the ground and sky were no longer separate but a splash of colours, the wind suddenly so sharp that it grazed their skin. In their descent, James could barely make out a figure his height disappearing behind a wall before they fell crashing into a maze wall, the bushes it was made from engulfed them.

'I swear – I swear I saw Harry,' James was heaving as he threw the last of the snake-like vine that had been tying him off his body. 'That way, he went – Merlin, a wall blocks it off.'

'You surprised me,' said a voice. They spun on their heels, wands in their hands. A sphinx was walking out from a bush. It had the body of a lion, its fur gold and shaggy; two wings the length of its trunk were folded on the back, its feathers more magnificent than those on the Ravenclaw eagle statue; on its neck, however, was a woman's head – a gold ring with rubies and sapphires adorned her sleek black hair like a halo, a pair of blue eyes on the tanned face sparkling under two heavily drawn eyebrows. Her nose was very thin and long.

'I always wondered why you could enter,' she drawled, pacing up and down the path.

'Always?' Sirius took a step forward, shielding James and Lily. 'So you knew we were coming?'

She smiled mysteriously, but the light from her gem-like eyes was as cold as ice. 'Sphinxes are extremely intelligent creatures.' She paused and hummed. 'The quickest way to the Cup is past me. But might I suggest that you go back and retreat to where you belong? This is not your place.'

Before James and Lily could react, Sirius took a step further. 'Since you're a sphinx and you're so clever,' he was practically bouncing, 'you must know where our friend Peter Pettigrew is. If he's inside, then we will have to proceed no matter what.'

'Hmm.' the sphinx cocked her head, exuding an air of elegance. 'In that case, you will have to answer my riddle. Answer on your first guest – I let you pass. Answer wrongly, I attack. Remain silent – I will let you walk away from me, unscathed.'

'I take it you know our friend is inside, then.' James waved. 'Give us your riddle.'

'I have said nothing,' she said. 'I, however, have a few conditions for you. I will give three riddles, and you will each answer one and one only. I will only reveal the next riddle after a correct answer. During the process, you may not communicate with each other, or I attack. If all three of you answer correctly on your first guess, you may pass.'

'And what is our order of answering?'

'You decide,' the sphinx lifted up her clawed paw, 'but once you have answered, you will remain silent. So think carefully which riddle you will answer to.'

They assented, and she gave the first riddle in a singsong:

 _'Here's a word that means worlds apart_

 _To the magicked and those who cannot conjure a spark;_

 _A witch hears it and never moves again_

 _When a girl feels it her heart races fast.'_

James could practically feel the cogs in his brain turning without difficulty. 'The magicked' and 'those who cannot conjure a spark' – those were clearly references to wizards and muggles. And then the sphinx described some sort of reactions – could those be reactions to a spell? And if so, which name of the spell meant differently to wizards and muggles? –

At almost the same time, James and Lily snapped up their heads. Lily was on the verge of shouting the answer – and James pulled back, because only one would answer the riddle – suddenly, in almost an anticlimactic fashion, she backed down.

The air that the first syllable brought was already dying in James's throat leapt out at Lily's retreat, forming a weird 'pssssssss' in the quiet maze. The sphinx's eerily bright eyes swivelled round to him, her gaze so cold and hard that it could burn holes.

'Psssss' – There was no going back. He had made the first sound, and he had taken his chance. ' – petrification. The answer is _petrification,_ ' he finished breathlessly, his heart thumping madly.

A wise smile lifted the corner of the sphinx's mouth. 'Correct.' She then turned to Lily and Sirius, her dark hair billowing like waves in the wind. 'Here comes the second riddle:

 _'A door is sealed behind which treasures lie._

 _To open it, a code is required._

 _Five times it rolls down the palate_

 _And one time a gap joins the magic._

 _It starts and ends with a sound_

 _That is neither blocked by the teeth nor the tongue._

 _Take the treasure and seal the entrance,_

 _One will be as rich as forty men.'_

 _Linguistics_ , thought James, thanks to the private tutoring he had been receiving since he was a young child. No schooling was required before Hogwarts, so naturally wealthy wizarding families offered private tutoring for their children, the Potters included. He had seen 'a sound that is neither blocked by the teeth nor the tongue' a million times on this textbook. _Those are descriptions of vowels without a doubt._ The look of realisation on Sirius's face showed that his thoughts mirrored James's. Still, knowing it was linguistics helped little. There were more than a hundred thousand English words, and no one even said the answer couldn't be Greek or Latin.

Lily's eyebrows were knitted together in frustration, and Sirius's heavy breathing was clearly audible. Although James knew he could no longer answer, nor could he give his friends a hint, he couldn't help but delve into it. A door guarding treasure that could make one as rich as forty made no sense whatsoever to him. But then, a magical riddle would not be unreasonable to have a spell as its answer, just like the one that James got. Something that 'rolls down the palate' for 'five times' – five syllables? – and something that starts and ends with a vowel – something that unlocks a door –

Sirius straightened his back. James's heart was leaping again; was Sirius thinking what he was thinking?–

A cough interrupted them. It came from Lily. Just like last time, the sphinx's blue gaze was locked with the emerald green. Lily had taken the chance from Sirius, who was gaping at her with a look of horror.

'Open Sesame,' said Lily determinedly. James's heart stopped. The only unlocking charm they knew was _Alohomora_!

'An unlocking spell that has five syllables but with a gap in between, which could only mean there are two words. In _Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves_ , Open Sesame is the code to the thieves' cave, which is why taking the treasure would make Ali Baba as rich as the forty thieves.'

'Correct,' said the sphinx, this time more sharply. 'You are very clever to have left this to yourself.'

James and Sirius exchanged a look, both ashamed at their impulsiveness. If Lily hadn't stopped herself at the first riddle, and if she hadn't interrupted Sirius, they would have been on their way back now. They should have seen this coming – when there were two purebloods and one muggleborn – that the sphinx would spread the riddles between wizardry and muggle folklores.

'So,' said the sphinx as she turned to Sirius, 'shall we start?'

Sirius nodded, his complexion very pale, and the third riddle came:

 _'Now give me two letters out of the twenty-six:_

 _For which they will answer to the first riddle I gave._

 _One is shaped like a tube and makes you pout,_

 _The other is the one which you can never speak without._

 _They are often heard side by side on the lovers' lips_

 _'Cause no wishes are ill with them in it.'_

Sirius was shaking visibly. If he guessed wrongly, he would be responsible for the failure of the team. 'Shaped like a tube – and pout' – he really tried pouting, his lips protruded – ' oooo… ooooo …. woooo – U! The first letter is U! And the second letter… '

The sphinx watched him intently.

'… what is the letter that is always spoken with U? Y – as in you? – you… I … I.. U – you and I – _U and I!_ ' Sirius shouted.

'Correct,' said the sphinx, and she stood up on all fours. This made James very uncomfortable. He gripped his wand tighter. 'What does this have to do with the first riddle?'

The sphinx was silent. She slowly walked to the spot from where Sirius stood opposite, like how a door frame would stand as if they were the two sides. Then, without warning, two shots of blue light shone from her eyes, reaching Sirius in less than a second and connected with his grey pupils. He was motionless before he could even react, a look of surprise frozen on his face.

'What are you –' James would have ran into the sphinx had Lily not pulled him back. 'You said you'd let us pass!'

The sphinx's gaze was still locked with Sirius's. 'I did not say I would let all three of you pass,' she said without turning. As if on cue, the bushes to Lily's right sprang apart, leaving a path in between. 'That way will lead you straight to the Cup without any more obstacles. Go now, you have not a second to waste. I will be here when you come back – hopefully.'

Nothing would have made James go away when his best mate was here – _petrified_ by a sphinx in a deadly task – had he not caught Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory running side by side towards the Triwizard Cup. In a split second, he saw Harry and Cedric touch the Cup and swirled and, to his horror, _shrank_ – and then the sphinx became the last thing on his mind as he managed to grab onto Harry's foot, Lily's hand still on his shoulder – and they spun in a howling wind, finally into an unknown darkness.

* * *

Remus woke up to two pairs of eyes staring at him. He nearly jumped.

'What are you – hey, why aren't you at the task?' He looked around, making sure that Madam Pomfrey was not in their vicinity. He still felt a bit funny after a day of sleeping, but he hadn't lost count of time. Harry should have entered the maze by now.

Hermione looked strangely nervous. 'We were just checking on you.'

'Thanks, I'm much better.' Remus smiled, the memory of three other boys around his sickbed came back like a haunted ghost. Hermione and Ron returned a smile that seemed rather unnatural.

Although they were the same age, for some reason, Remus felt some sort of responsibility over them. 'What is it?'

'Er –' Ron fiddled with his ropes. 'Sirius gave you this.'

'He gave me…?' Remus accepted the Galleon carefully. It hadn't been in his possession since the Lake Incident. After all, the two magical coins were James's and Sirius's creation, not his.

'That's right,' said Hermione in a cheerful tone. 'We're so relieved that you're feeling better already. I was rather worried that you'd be more stressed than usual.

'I was. I – er –still am,' said Remus. 'Really, there's no need to worry about me. Go back to Harry and support him.'

After Hermione and Ron left, Remus was alone again in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was probably on standby at the pitch should any champion need her care. He flipped the Galleon a few times. Sometimes, when he had nothing to do, he played heads or tails with himself. His parents said that distraction could help calm his nerves, which he had a lot right now. Suddenly, he felt the strong urge go to go to a place – a place that would answer the questions in his mind.

Grabbing his wand, he slipped out and went straight for Moody's office. The former Auror should be patrolling at the pitch at the moment, and chances were the Marauder's Map he got from Harry would be there. That would tell him where his friends were, a thought that had been bothering him since he woke up. Years of being a Marauder told him that they were not simply at the spectator stand.

It didn't take much effort to break into Moody's office, surprisingly enough. He'd have thought he'd need to summon Pinky to do it with him, just like what they did with Snape's office. There was a large mirror that showed not his reflection but a blurry figure, and a large trunk with seven keys in a row lay under the window. The desk was a mess: quills, parchments and various objects and equipment that were complicatedly built dotted the working area.

' _Accio_ the Marauder's Map,' said Remus in a low voice.

A parchment flew straight into his hands from a drawer under the desk. The map had already been opened, with lines and spaces and names on it. On the top right corner was the pitch where thousands of black dots which represented people lined the circular pitch, and in the middle were a few tags he recognised: Harry Potter, Cedric Diggory – and James Potter, Lily Evans and Sirius Black. He blinked, thinking he had gone mad; and when he looked again, the names were gone.

Remus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, but he was in no way feeling less stifled. He stood there, thinking hard, but could hardly come up with a coherent sentence. He stood until the trunk under the window made a sudden rattle, and he was brought back to earth with a start.

' _Mischief managed_ ,' he whispered, and the map was wiped away. He raised his wand, and aimed.

 **A/N: I'm very sorry that I keep dragging - I have a lot on my plate now. My finals are coming up and the revision is killing me x.x I promise I'll get back to this after the exams as soon as possible. I need a nice wrap up for this story.**


	28. Homecoming

The first thing James did was pull the Cloak tight around Lily and him again before his brain even caught up with what just happened. It was an instinct that came with years of pranking; he kept his silence. As bold as he always was, he wasn't sure it would be a good idea to openly muddle with the Tournament.

Harry and Cedric got to their feet immediately. Around them was a dark and overgrown graveyard, the outline of numerous graves and a chapel buried behind the thin fog. The bushes, the maze and the grand Hogwarts castle were nowhere to be seen.

'Did anyone tell you the Cup was a Portkey?' asked Cedric.

'No,' said Harry in equal confusion. 'I … I think someone just grabbed my shoulder.'

James and Lily shrunk further into their Cloak as Cedric shot Harry a quizzical look. Before he said anything else, there were distant footsteps approaching them.

'Wands out,' Cedric mouthed, and they (James and Lily too) pulled out their wands, alarmed.

In the dark, a blurry shape appeared from afar. And as it drew nearer, it became clear that it was a short hooded figure carrying something in its arms. Harry and Cedric were rooted to the spot, squinting with alert, and, more than ever, perplexity; James, however, found the hooded figure a bit too familiar for his liking.

' _Kill the spare_.' A cold, hissy voice came from the thing that the figure was carrying. Without missing a beat, the figure raised its wand and squeaked, its voice shrill and hard, ' _Avada Kedavra!_ '

A shot of green light pelted through the darkness, hitting Cedric squarely in the chest. He fell down without a groan, his eyes still open and wand clutched tightly in his hand. The air around him froze, and James's knees nearly gave way: the voice might have been raspier, colder, more tired than the one he knew, but it was unmistakably his best mate's voice, the very one which he had been dying to hear tonight.

Well, not exactly. He had been dying to look for the plump little boy, the squeaky little Peter Pettigrew, not this cruel hooded man who killed without batting an eye. Though Hermione and Ron had told him about Peter, he had his doubts still. He wouldn't have believed it entirely had he not seen it with his own eyes, that his dear friend would someday became this _thing._

Peter Pettigrew the traitor edged nearer, pulling Harry to his feet with one arm. This Peter was bald with wheat-like hair framing his temple, the vibes he gave off mousey and crude like he was perpetually dodging from the light. Pettigrew the Death Eater was a shadow, a part of the darkest pit; Peter the schoolboy was soft but mischievous, timid at times but friendly if you knew him enough. He was a firefly in a sky of blazing stars.

Gone was the little firefly that was never afraid of light. Pettigrew dragged Harry towards a marble headstone, his hold on him unrelenting, and then he began conjuring ropes around him. Harry didn't even retaliate – he just stared disbelievingly ahead, probably too shocked to react. And then the world came back whirling past him, shaking him awake – he screamed, his white scar visible against the flushed skin: 'Wormtail!'

Pettigrew – Wormtail – ignored him. He poked his wand around the ropes, making sure they were tight enough. The thing that he carried turned around, its features stood out like the jarring edges of a cliff in the half-spilled starlight: a bloodless plate that was supposed to be a face ended abruptly at the pointy chin, the nose was only two little holes in the middle that spoke of eeriness. But the most striking feature, the most startling one, was the blood-red eyes with the slits in between, staring down at the teenagers with emotions too complex for such a disgusting face.

There were only seconds for James and Lily to process what had happened before a cauldron was set up before them, the content simmering. Wormtail was speaking in his squeaky voice, and, with a look of utter revulsion and fear, he lifted the creature up above the rim of cauldron in supplication. There was a sudden hiss; Wormtailed dropped the creature and it vanished into the boiling cauldron.

The shadow of Wormtail danced an evil dance on the grassy ground. There was no way to tell Wormtail's shadow and that of the hideous hood apart; they were the same black lump against the light. Wormtail was murmuring in a low voice. He pulled out a dagger suddenly, and then James felt himself being spun around, away from Wormtail and Harry and facing the shadow. It was Lily, whose expression was grave and knowing. Confused, He shot her a quizzical look.

Before he realised what was going to happen, there was a swing of the shining dagger – the shadow on the ground blurred – and there was a howl of pain as red hot blood spilled on the green of the ground.

'… and, lastly, the blood of the enemy…'

James nearly pulled off the Cloak when Harry's scream reached him across the yard. The cauldron boiled, bubbles rising and spilling out; then, among the thick mist, some portion of the liquid slowly came into shape, rising, stretching its thin limbs, _stepping out of the cauldron –_

'Where are the rest?'

Lord Voldemort spoke with a voice so cold that it could freeze a beating heart.

'I – I'm not sure, my Lord,' Wormtail replied with a bow, shaking, 'they should be here – Crouch's plan –' His words died on his tongue abruptly as if his windpipe was forcibly blocked. He took a few breaths and tried again. 'Potter's always been very cunning…'

'Get _him_ out,' ordered Voldemort. Wormtail hesitated, and Voldemort shot him a cruel smile. 'Get him out. Don't make me ask again, Wormtail.'

Wormtail was visibly shaken. And if killing an innocent boy hadn't affect him in any way, James couldn't imagine what could possibly make him afraid.

Wormtail moved very slowly towards a large tomb behind him. Eventually, he pulled out something – a tied bag only slightly smaller than himself – from the tomb. He stooped, untying the bag with trembling hands. It took him quite some time as he fidgeted, his fingers curling and uncurling around the not-exactly-tight-knot.

'Hurry up, Wormtail.' Voldemort let out a soft voice that was anything but comforting. Though he was urging, it was obvious that he was enjoying the sight. The sight of Wormtail, his servant, being so shaken and afraid.

'You know we won't hurt him… that much,' Voldemort cooed. James felt goosebumps all over his skin. But time didn't even allow his goosebumps to go down before nausea washed over him.

Peter the teenager was pulled out from the bag by his older self, dropping onto the ground with a loud 'bump'. There were bruises and gashes all over his face and limbs, his shirt dotted with blood. He was panting, his mouth opening and closing like a gold fish out of water, but not a sound came out.

Wormtail tapped his wand on the struggling body. And then Peter was suddenly yelping as his voice went alive at the lift of the silencing charm: ' – won't come!'

'Won't they?'

The corners of Voldemort's lipless mouth quirked. Wormtail was silent, his face turned to the side with his eyes closed. His feigned composure shattered when Peter let out a terrified scream. James's head snapped aside just in time to catch a glimpse of an undulation in the grass, crawling closer and closer towards Peter. The grass parted, and then a giant snake revealed itself, its triangular head rising threateningly. Peter's face contorted in horror, but his legs were so weak that he could barely support himself.

' _Stupify_!'

The great snake dodged the spell with a mere shake, not even bothering to turn to the attacker. James watched Peter's expression change from horror to desperation and shock, only then did he realise that he had positioned himself between Peter and the snake, his Cloak off and wand out, the stunning spell still tasted fresh from his tongue. Lily was standing behind him, standing in a similar posture.

'You came,' Peter rasped and let out a sob. His eyes were two little beads embedded in the swollen sockets. There was relief and joy, but also resignation, despair, and perhaps something more… something…

'Shame,' Voldemort sneered, as if knowing exactly what was running through Peter's mind.

James ignored him and crouched beside Peter. _Like it was nothing more than just a stupid prank gone wrong_ , he told himself despite his racing heart. Peter simply refused to look him in the eye.

'Let's go –' James's mouth was moving on its own. 'There's got to be – got to be a way –'

'There's no way,' Peter finally said, his voice clear and loud in the silent graveyard.

'…what?' James froze. 'No… we're here –'

Peter was already screaming, anger spilling from the tears streaming down his face. 'That's exactly what he _wants_! Why did you come at all? – You stupid Gryffindor! Wanna act heroic yet reckless and thoughtless – that's Sirius's share, not yours!'

'Is it really the time for this, Pete?' James was outrageous. He pulled Peter up, but the boy only slumped again. 'Come on, get up –'

'He's _Voldemort_ ,' said Peter between sniffs, like James didn't already know that. 'He has risen, James. _Voldemort_ is here and there's no way we can get out. And I – I work for him.'

As if on cue, Harry's anguished screams pierced the still air, his scar becoming even more prominent.

'Your future self works for him,' James corrected Peter with a wince. It pained him so much to say this, but he had to say it, to get the message across. Just in case this was the last chance he had to make his point clear. 'You don't work for him – not yet. _You're our friend_. _You're a Marauder._ '

'Is he though?' Voldemort chuckled softly. 'Go on, we need some drama to spice up the mood.'

James rounded on Wormtail with a roar, who after so many years was obviously still scared of his former friend that despite being a much skillful wizard, stumbled backwards.

'Steady,' Voldemort hissed, and Wormtail straightened his back immediately. Once he found his centre of gravity, he stuck out his wand resolutely, this time, pointing at his younger self.

' _Crucio_ ,' he said, the beady eyes looking straight ahead at James – through James. The red light shot Peter squarely in the chest, whose whimper made everyone but Voldemort flinch. Wormtail stared steadfastly at his feet, his face buried in shadow.

'Tell him what you did,' he ordered, his tone so dead and flat like a robot's. After a pause, he added, with more emotions this time: 'Tell him you haven't been his friend all along. Once wrong move,' his gaze skidded onto James, Lily and Harry on statue, 'he s-suffers.'

With the wand at Peter, James and Lily didn't so much as dare to move an inch. Harry looked like he was going to say something but decided to stay quiet eventually.

Peter was breathing heavily on the ground. 'I – I tried. Not to. But –' He spat out a blood clot, and James's heart squeezed painfully in his chest. 'But Crouch… Crouch knew I was afraid. He …'

'Crouch?' Lily whispered. 'How is he in all this? Harry saw him badly injured in the woods…'

'Not old Crouch. The Crouch we know. Barty Crouch Jr in our time,' Peter said slowly. 'He is a Death Eater that has been lying low since Voldemort's dea –' A sudden pang of pain rippled through him – 'since 1981,' he hissed out in pain. Wormtail stood still at the side, the only part of him moving was his robes swaying in the dark.

'Since 1981, and has been dying to resurrect his master,' Peter continued after his breathing became even. 'So he becomes Moody with the Polyjuice Potion. The Moody we know is never the real Moody but Barty Crouch Jr the Death Eater this whole time.'

'But how…?' James stared. 'He'd been so helpful –'

Voldemort cut him off with a cold laugh. He had been listening with mad interest, the way a cat watches the mice before it kills.

'This is why, even with the help of time travel, you are still to die at my hand, _Potter_ ,' he said mockingly. 'You think you are so clever, don't you? Crouch has executed my plan marvellously. I had him assist you, cover for you, just to bring you here to this very graveyard where my useless mudblood father lay.' He began to pace up and down. 'And this, Potter, will be your tomb as well.'

James turned his face from him. His eyes were fixed on Peter, urging him to continue. He needed to know the whole truth as much as he needed time. The staff would find out if two competitors were gone from the maze, right? And there was still Sirius in the maze, though Merlin knows how long he would need to break the Sphinx's spell. But the Sphinx did say she would be waiting for them – that is, if they ever got out…

'Remember that time we were in Snape's office?' Peter was staring at James, who nodded. 'Harry saw Crouch's name on the map, but it was Moody who came in. That got us so confused, and then he confiscated the map from Harry. Well, now we know.' _But it's too late already._ He had left that part unsaid, though the bitterness in his voice showed everything. _What's the point of knowing all this now?_

'He'd been so helpful,' repeated James, whose brain was still short-circuiting.

'Of course he was.' Peter slowly propped himself up and sat with his leg crossed. Neither Voldemort nor Wormtail stopped him; he was probably not a large enough threat to them. More importantly, they needed him to show James and Lily the torture. James watched as the largest gash on Peter's shin opened again, staining his shorts with blood. He could do nothing about it. Like he could do nothing when Remus transformed. Like he could do nothing when Sirius and Remus fell out, exactly the way their enemy had wanted them to be.

'He was the one who put Harry's name in the Cup. He had wanted Harry to win so that he could get him here. This has been the plan since day one. Even before we came. We were the additional part that beefed up the plan. "Helpful", in Crouch's own words.'

'That's why he never told on James subbing for Harry,' Lily said at the back.

'He was more than thrilled,' said Peter sourly, 'you hadn't seen his delirium.'

James went quiet for a while. Eventually, he sighed. 'You could've told us. You – didn't have to bear this … the madness. Alone.'

If James had to be extremely honest with himself, Peter never got as much attention from him as the other Marauders. Not that he saw Peter as a friend less; James's heart was too big for that. Only that James had more things to care about than he could – Harry and Lily were family, Remus with his internal demons, Sirius and his little tantrums and the fight between them. Amidst the chaos, Peter seemed the least affected and demanded least attention, and James couldn't for forgive himself for thinking that Peter was okay when in fact he had the biggest inner demon to fight and there was no one there for him.

'It was more than just the madness that I had to bear alone, James.'

Peter never sounded so tired before, it was like he wanted the earth to swallow him up and never see light again. 'How could I tell you it was I who betrayed you? Who as good as killed you and Lily and made Harry an orphan? There was no way I wouldn't bear this alone. Believe me, when Crouch told me all this, I'd rather I was the one who died. He was _gloating_.'

'I believe you.'

In hindsight, James knew exactly when this happened. It started with that time when Moody first kept Peter behind for 'extra lessons'. When the rest of the time travellers, escorted by Snape, ran into Trelawney in the corridor and heard the horrible prophecy, Snape's first instinct had been to go back to the Defence classroom and got Peter out. It wasn't because Snape had grown a heart and cared about Peter suddenly. It was that he suspected that Peter was whom the prophecy was referring to, like how Hermione explained to him.

'Yes, I know you're thinking about. It started since then.' Peter nodded. 'As soon as Snape was out of sight, Moody somehow got me under his spells and I'd say whatever he wanted without knowing. He knew I had difficulty blocking spells that mess with the mind. Anyway, that was the first time. He asked me what Harry's letter was about. And I told him.'

'The only letter of Harry that you know about was –' James took a deep breath, ' – that very one with Sirius's location. That was how the ministry found us.' Another pause allowed him to think deeper – 'I knew it. Remus never gave our location away.'

Peter shrank further. 'No,' he whispered, looking at anywhere but James. 'Luckily, Sirius only gave us the location of the meeting place. That did buy you some time. Moody must've got it from me and alerted the ministry somehow. I don't – I don't exactly remember,' he said with a shiver. 'Since then, I had been having extras with him at least once a week. Sometimes he asked about us. What we were planning. Our escape plan. Harry. Dumbledore. Basically everything. I was his eye on us.

'At last he opened up to me. He told me about my future and who he was and his plan and how he got Harry into this. He threatened me… said if I didn't do as he say so, or if I told you about him, he'd let you know about me…' His voice became significantly weaker. 'He knows me so well… he knows exactly where to stab…

'I was so scared, James, you have no idea. But part of me also agrees with Crouch; that we would be much better off not knowing what exactly happened. So I proceeded to look up time travelling theories in the library. Those that Remus and I discussed aren't lies. We could really make a difference staying in the future as long as danger keeps its hands off us.'

Lily's emerald eyes were glinting. There was no way to tell if she was sad or angry or anything at all. 'And you made the time turner disappear.'

Peter's gaze darted swiftly around before refocusing on James and Lily. Voldemort was leering in the background. Tonight was the night he proved that he was greater than _both_ Death and Time.

'I – I had to… I didn't want to – get back to become a traitor…' Peter's voice was slurred as a shiver ran through him. When he calmed down, his voice was no greater than a whisper, and James had to lean in to catch his words. 'When you are being put on an Imperius repeatedly, your ability to defy weakens. I… I was under Crouch's magic to crush the time turner. Yes, I did frame Remus. I'm sorry. It was all me.'

Voldemort was laughing behind them, his face at the sky as laughter spilled from his lipless mouth like serpents spurting venom. The laughter echoed in the graveyard, piercing the stagnant air with madness and cruelty. If Crouch had successfully destroyed the time turner through Peter, there was no other way the time travellers could go back twenty years in time. Lord Voldemort had truly triumphed, and he was going to get back what he lost – the Potters. The Boy Who Lived. Eternal victory.

'He never did anything against you. He had no reason to.'

Peter's final words were drowned and unheard by James before Voldemort made his first strike.

* * *

Remus could feel his heart in his throat. All of his attention was narrowed down to the tip of his wand, his gaze steady on the rattling trunk. If was as if there was a spirit trapped inside the trunk and was fighting its way to get out.

But then the trunk quietened down, and it seemed that Remus was in no imminent danger. After he made sure that silence was his only companion, he went back to the map. He studied it very carefully this time, his eyes wide and unblinking. He was so sure that his friends' names were in the maze, which was, all things considered, not entirely impossible. But how come they were gone in just a blink of an eye? Now _that_ was impossible. They couldn't apparate yet.

His definition of 'impossible' changed completely in only a few seconds' time. Utterly baffled, he saw Barty Crouch on the periphery of the maze alongside with Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore and the rest of the judging panel and staff. They had been set apart from the mass amount of spectators since teachers patrolled around the maze. If a competitor shot a red light into the sky, they would be rescued by one of the teachers. By this logic, Barty Crouch was one of the patrollers.

 _But he can't be_ , Remus mused. He should be sitting on the first row of the spectator stand with Madame Maxime and Karkaroff (who might have already fled as per Snape's suggestion). Besides, Crouch had been sick since the Yule Ball, and worse, Harry had seen him all bloodied up in the woods just a few days ago.

All the evidence was pointing towards Crouch being alive the whole time. The only question was, how come?

Remus looked around blankly. Too many questions and mysteries. Too much confusion. And he hadn't even found out where his friends were, which was the primary goal of his breaking into Moody's office. He was going to take a deep breath, concentrate, read the map again –

And then something caught his eye. In the corner of the desk, there was a small folded parchment with burnt holes all over it, the words ' _Re: can we meet_ ' were scribbled hastily on it. His letter from Sirius.

That was strange. Remus had no idea that his letter held such importance to the teachers. The last time he had seen it was in Snape's office. Dobby had smuggled them in, and they had run into Moody, and Harry was outside with his egg –

Wait. Wasn't that the night Harry claimed he saw Crouch in Snape's office?

But there was no Crouch. Just Moody.

 _The map never lies_. Harry had told them. Accurately speaking, that was his own words. Professor Lupin had told Harry the map was never wrong.

Remus read the map again. There were McGonagall at the south entrance, Dumbledore with Madame Maxime and Ludo Bagman, Snape between the East and North entrances, and Barty Crouch was right at the front entrance. There was no Moody. Just Crouch.

Crouch. Moody. Moody. Crouch. Moody. Moody.

It was evident that both Moody and Snape had been unreasonably interested in his letter. Snape had wanted to catch him red-handed with sexual assault, hence the interest. Honestly, this didn't surprise Remus. Snape wouldn't be Snape if he wasn't interested in getting the Marauders in trouble. But what had Moody got anything to do with it? Unless –

Unless he knew it was from Sirius. Unless he had had his eye on Remus since forever. Unless he had wanted to get hold of his letter from the start _and_ Snape got there before him. And Snape had been so caught up with telling on the Marauders that he spent countless hours on breaking the codes Remus and the older Sirius had set up, and ended up abandoning the letter on his working desk. This way, Moody would have a new purpose in Snape's office in the dead of night apart from mumbling what a dreadful former death eater Snape was (while pretending not to see the Marauders under the Cloak) – to lay hands on the letter that Snape had unintentionally pried away from him.

Moody could've asked nicely. He could've told Snape his suspicion that it was from Sirius, and Snape would in no way refuse. This would be a much satisfying revenge for Snape than Remus assaulting a student. But no, Moody had kept his reasons private. Unless – (there were already so many unless's tonight, so why not assume further) – he had a different motive. Not merely catching Sirius the escaped convict, but something bigger. Something big like … catching him interacting with a time traveller. Like telling a time traveller about the future. Like setting up a meeting between the two.

In fact, they had been a hair's breadth away from being caught. If the ministry had caught them, there was no way the ministry would have let the older Sirius Black out of sight again. They would have called in the Dementors immediately. One important rule of time travelling was that if any version of a person died on any timeline, they would cease to exist entirely. How would that have affected the younger Sirius and the future that followed?

Remus shivered. The deeper he dug into the matter, the stronger his fear grew. He began to see the danger that had been lurking in the corner, threatening them, and they had been so oblivious to it. He hadn't known Moody in the 70s back then. He had no idea what this man was actually like, only pieces and bits he heard from James quoting his dad, saying how reputed Moody was as an Auror. Could some ten years change a person's soul entirely? Either Moody was such an excellent spy that he deceived the entirely wizarding world, or that the Moody today wasn't the Moody Fleamont Potter had known.

His gaze moved down on the map, hovering over the castle. Very few people remained indoors. Filch was with Mrs Norris on the second floor. Peeves was wandering in the Great Hall. And on the very floor, in this very office were two labels: one was Remus Lupin, and the other, just a few feet from him was another label: Alastor Moody.

Remus's head snapped between the trunk and the map. He was no stranger to the Polyjuice Potion. There was abundant supply in their old dormitory.

He hadn't known Alastor Moody back then, nor did he know Mr Old Barty Crouch personally. But, he did know another Barty Crouch. A blonde Slytherin from his time. A friend of Regulus Black's.

 _The map never lies._

 _Oh._

* * *

The masked Death Eaters formed a half circle around them. Wormtail was still gasping, his silver fingers curling and uncurling, thriving in their new gained mobility.

'Fourteen years ago, James and Lily Potter died at the flick of my hand, wandless.' Voldemort smiled a smile that reached only the corners of his mouth, revealing the sharp white teeth beneath. 'You have been taught how to duel?'

Three wands found their ways straight into Harry, James and Lily's grip. Then two twig-like pieces flew towards young Peter, landing in his lap. It was his wand in two halves, presumably broken when he was captured.

'Now, I am giving you a _chance_ to fight me,' Voldemort said. 'A chance you never had. But it won't make any difference. At the end of the day, I will reclaim my victory – this time, by dueling, by fairness, not by any old fool's blood magic.'

He lifted his pale arm, his wrist lowering so that he was making a bowing motion. James felt his knees gave out suddenly, his spine bending despite his will. Voldemort had cast an Imperius Curse on them, making them bow.

'I'm doing you a favour, Harry,' Voldemort said softly. 'This time, you will all die. You won't be an orphan anymore. You have longed for a family your whole life, haven't you? Tonight is the time. You will die with your parents, just like how you should have fourteen years ago…'

' _No_!' Someone fired back. It must be Harry because James hadn't opened his mouth, yet the voice sounded so much like his.

Lily had tumbled to the ground, her body only supported by her elbows as she struggled against the curse. James thought his backbone was going to snap. He roared in pain, feeling his muscles being stretched to its maximum length and his bones bearing the final blow that would lead to them breaking into pieces. But he wouldn't back down. He wasn't going to give the mad man any satisfaction by obeying him. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, the pain was so great that only half his mind was aware of his surroundings. Somehow, in his state of near unconsciousness, Voldemort's cold voice had penetrated through the mesh of his brain like a needle poking through silk:

'… Lily, my brave girl… get up, it's your time to shine…'

 _No. Nononono._ James wanted to scream, but his lips wouldn't move. All his energy was concentrated on his back, fighting against the sole force that would fatally end him. The other parts, his brain decided, were much far down the priority list for energy.

'... you can throw yourself in front of him like you did ...but there's no blood magic this time round… You are not yet his mother at fourteen…'

James's head was going to split. Still, he could hear everything. That was the most painful part. He could do nothing but watch them die, one by one – or he could let his spine break first, then he didn't have to witness this.

'… him, or you?...'

His eyelids were heavy. For perhaps the first time in his life, James felt drained of energy. He so wanted a good sleep. The world was not pretty anyways. He felt sorry for Remus and Sirius. They would take care of each other. He had faith in them.

'Go away, Lily! – Please – let her live –'

'Maybe it'll work! I'm still your mum –'

' _Let her live! She deserves it!_ '

Voldemort was laughing. The Death Eaters followed along. The clouds gathered above them, shielding the stars. James saw it before it came: Voldemort lifted his bony arm, his lips parted –

' _Adava Kedavra!_ '

Green light illuminated the graveyard. And then a blur of red dashed past him, positioning itself right at the end of the incoming jet of green light.

Perhaps James should really take a rest. He didn't have to see this.

And then a gale of wind grazed his face. The world was losing its colour, but the outline of Peter, his chubby friend, was as clear as the stars in the sky in a moonless night. He had been lying on the grass, blood soaked through his shirt, and nobody minded him. When Voldemort asked Lily and Harry to choose whom to die first, he had been crawling towards them, slowly, subtly, inch by inch. At last he was just next to the marble statue that Harry was tied to, and when the green light shot near, he sprang up in the last second, flinging himself before Lily.

James's eyes widened. It was as if everything was in slow motion. Peter jumped up, his shirt swinging up with the momentum, and his wheat-colour blonde hair spilled into the air like spikes. The green light edged nearer and nearer, first illuminating the white shirt, casting an eerie emerald glow over it, and then the red-and-gold Gryffindor tie. Then it was just under his jaw, the light casting from below, making his chin and his nose a pit of blackness in the bloodless face that was written full with terror. And at last –

It hit Peter squarely in the chest.

He stumbled a bit. There was a look of disbelief, a telltale sign that he still hadn't processed the fact that he had stood up and hit the killing curse. A mild kind of surprise, the kind when you think it's Sunday but it's in fact Saturday and you just go 'oh'. A typical Peterish expression.

The world stopped spinning.

To James, the world collapsed.


	29. Past, Present and Future

There was no sound. There was no one. There was nothing.

James opened his eyes and found the world had indeed stopped spinning. The Death Eaters were in a half circle, their robes frozen in the air, their wands half raised; Peter was already halfway falling down, his elbow only an inch from the ground.

And then it was like someone released the 'pause' button in an action film – Peter fell with a hard thump. Lily was screaming, losing her footing as Peter stumbled, her hand on his back as she tried to push him aside. Harry's roar swept through the yard in a gale, so loud and emotional that it could wake the dead.

But it was only them. The others – Voldemort, Wormtail, and the Death Eaters were still paused in action, a three-dimensional Muggle painting with vivid details and tension. The graveyard was strangely silent save Harry's roar, echoes still reverberating.

Lily's eyes widened suddenly. 'Something's happening…'

They all turned around. Peter's body was listless and rigid like the cold tombstones. And then something in the air changed – a twinkle of starlight, a change in the wind, a shift of mood – and Peter eyes fluttered open, accompanied by a loud gasp, his chest rising and falling as the fabric that covered his chest slowly inflated like a balloon. Then a wisp of black smoke spiraled into air from the tip of the most inflated point, forming into a shape as the children stumbled away.

'Do not fear me,' a voice said. It could only come from the new shape that was slowly taking up the form of a human. A face with a blank expression that told neither happiness nor sadness. A long silky black robe fell loosely around the body, sweeping the ground with its smoky edges.

Peter's hands were on his chest, his shirt still inflated. 'Who… what…'

'I am Time,' said the figure simply. 'I guard the River between the Beginning and the End.'

Silence ensued. Time dipped its hand, and suddenly there was a glow in its palm. A golden hourglass chained to a necklace with rings rotating around it.

The symbol of ever-changing universe. The device that held eternity in an hour.

Peter let out a gasp. 'That's… the time turner…' He looked down as he put his hand on where the inflation had been. 'You took it.'

'You said you destroyed it,' said Lily.

'I said Crouch cast an Imperius on me and made me destroy it,' replied Peter without missing a beat, 'but he underestimated the lengths I was willing to go. There was no way to break an Imperius without specific Defence skills. And I, obviously –' he laughed bitterly – 'had no such skills. But… he didn't expect I'd break my arm to prevent my own hand from crushing it. The me he knew wouldn't do it for his friends.'

James's and Lily's eyes met. Wormtail's blood was still fresh on the grass, the iron smell diluted by the rotten air from the graves recycling among the buried dead.

'I've been carrying it since.' Peter's voice was no higher than a whisper.

Not a flicker of emotion flitted across Time's face if it ever felt anything at all. Of course, Time was never a human being. It might appear in the form of living creature, but it was inherently an integral element of life. It was infinite.

'Time does not interfere with Death.' A hand waved gracefully. 'Death receives souls from the end of their original timeline. On a different timeline, though, it is I who decide what becomes of you.'

A pause was made to let the message sink in.

'So Peter Pettigrew,' Time continued, and Peter paled. 'You chose to sacrifice. You changed the fate of all those that were supposed to die, and those that are alive today. Here, I ask you: will you make the same choice again, now that I am giving you a second chance?'

It was a 'will you' question; James noticed with his heart skipping a beat. Not the suppositional 'would you', but 'will'. The ominous green jet was still suspended in the air, only inches away from Peter's forehead (because he fell down). The other end was from the tip of Voldemort's wand, his teeth glittering in the bright green light.

'… I didn't…' Peter was panting. He always did when he was nervous. '… choose to sacrifice myself. I just saw the light and… stood up…'

The smoke from under Time's hem boiled. It swirled, like smoke from a volcano before the final explosion. The golden time turner gleamed.

'… It's … instinct…'

'So?' Time's hand gave an inviting gesture.

Peter shut his eyes. Even from James's distance, he could feel Lily's and Harry's heart jumping madly in accordance with his own. He saw Lily's mouth open and close in futile. He tried on his own, only to find that his voice had vanished into thin air and there was nothing he could do.

'I – I –' Peter's face was more than just pale; it was transparent. All his inner emotions were written on it, running in his arteries and veins. 'I – they came in – I… yeah…'

James and Lily stared. Their thudding hearts were singing in unison. Even Harry, who had been having the expression of distrust ever since the Marauders stumbled into the future, went stiff in an instant: he truly cared for Peter. Now that James had known him for a year, it wasn't difficult to figure his son out; not when you're the same age, experiencing the same teenage urges at the same time – it was the very teenage urge in young Peter that made him sacrifice himself for another life while Wormtail, who lacked this crucial substance in him, traded life with power and death.

'Yes,' Peter repeated, his voice very right, clutching himself in his arms. Then, slowly, his furrowed brows unknitted themselves as crinkles at the corner of his eyes smoothened. He looked relieved, peaceful even. 'Yes,' he said, the word rolling on his tongue, settling on the tip, and finally shooting out. 'I am ready. You can kill me now.'

Only now did James realise how uptight Peter had been before tonight. He laughed and joked and played around, but there was an air of tightness around him, though very subtly placed. It was, of course, the consequence of having to swallow the painful truth alone, having to lie to save himself and his friends, and hating himself for it. Peter's happy veneer was built on the foundation of lies and guilt. Now, it was time for liberation.

'Very well, Peter Pettigrew.' Time regarded him shrewdly. 'Time does not interfere with Death, nor does Death interfere with Time. I will, however, save up your show of mercy for you.'

Peter's eyes were closed, the way he closed it when he took a nap. He breathed slowly.

'Tonight, I release you from demise in exchange of your heart. When your time comes, this very bit of mercy will burn as the last pop of the candle before it goes off.'

Harry's eyes narrowed. Before any of them knew, bright golden light beams started issuing from the collar, the hem and sleeves of Time's robe, twisting and crossing, knitting themselves into a giant gold net that enclosed them. Harry fell down from the statue with a yelp, the ropes Wormtail conjured gone without warning.

'Go,' said Time, pointing at Cedric's body and the wooden Cup. 'Fetch the boy and go back to wherever you came from. I will slow things down, but not for long.'

The net of golden beams brightened. And then Voldemort was screeching in rage, and Death Eaters were hitting the net with various spells. James dragged Lily and Harry towards the Cup. Harry clutched Cedric's arm as tightly as he could as his eyes started blurring around the edges.

The light beams were fading. People were closing in –

'Come on!' James shouted. And then his fingertip touched the wooden surface, and _swish_! They were hurled away from the jaws and claws of death.

* * *

Sirius felt the peace and quiet he had long needed. His head was light, his body soft and warm like bathing in the morning sun. Perhaps he was on the bank near the Lake? The Marauders loved spending time there.

He didn't remember what happened, or how and why he was here. All he knew that he was in a chat with someone. Pleasant, so far. He had been going on about Regulus's first show of magic:

 _… and then his pee floated up. You know, it's the colour of tea. So we – well, it was mostly my idea – I put it in mother's tea. Reg had asked where mummy had gone the whole afternoon. One of the best days of my life, I dare say…_

And then he was on his blissful Marauders years –

 _… James is the most stupid. Always around the redhead. And Peter always follows James, so Evans must've thought she's got two bloody pursuers. Stuck up, isn't she? But I tell you, she has a good heart – Well, I take that back; she's borrowed Remus's grandma detective stories and hasn't yet returned them…_

Whatever the other person said was lost in the sudden realisation of him being in a dark maze, a Sphinx staring at him, her eyes glowing, and her paw on his chest.

'What –!' Sirius staggered. His back hit a wall made of bushes; it must have bruised him.

'It's time,' said the Sphinx. 'Remember what we talked about?'

'I –' He hesitated. It only seemed so reasonable to climb on the Sphinx's back, so he did. Next came James and Lily crashing through a wall, the bushes grazed their already bloodied skin.

It took only a second for Sirius to re-register the situation. James and Lily climbed behind him, and then the great wings of the Sphinx spread apart, bringing them into the sky, heading straight for the castle.

* * *

The passing of time went unnoticed in Moody's quiet office. There was a sheen of sweat on Remus's forehead, the trunk before him, the very way it was when he first laid eyes on it.

'Mr Moody!' Remus tried again. There must be some profound sound-proof charms on the trunk. Lock charms as well, Remus reckoned. To open the trunk was simply impossible. Moody's nametag on the map had not moved an inch since he noticed it. He only prayed that he was alive.

'He must be,' Remus mused. 'Crouch needs his hair for the Potion. And surely the map shows only people who are alive?'

He must thank really thank whoever in them had the genius mind to come up with the idea of a map because he wouldn't have figured out anything if it wasn't for it, much less noticing _Crouch and Harry_ coming his way. Footsteps were feet away and the next thing he knew, the office door was slammed open, with Harry struggling under Crouch's grip on his collar. Crouch, in Moody's body, was clearly shocked to see Remus.

'Stop moving, stay where you are.' Remus's wand was level with Crouch's chest. Harry's face was red with anger, his limbs flailing and was clearly being put on a silencing spell. 'Release him.'

Moody's magical eye stilled. 'What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing, Lupin? No students are allowed in the office without permission.'

Remus kept his wand steady despite his growing fear. He knew very well that he was facing a real, dangerous, in-service Death Eater right now. Whatever he was going to do, there would be no do-overs. He had made a decision in a split second's time: he would do anything to keep Harry safe, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

Crouch looked through Remus where the Marauder's Map lay open on the desk. A sneer turned up, an expression so un-Moody-like, and his grip on Harry's collar tightened.

'You might've learned a thing or two from your little gang –' Crouch flicked his wand so quickly that Remus saw only a blur, and then his wand shot out like an arrow into Crouch's grip – 'but it doesn't mean you can always be the big boss. I'm much stronger than you now, _Mr_ _Prefect_.'

 _Oh great, so I became a prefect_ , thought Remus while keeping his face blank. That didn't mean he was not in any way panicked though, he was now without his wand, and was as good as dead. He started to regret not going along with Crouch and sneaking out to get help. Peter would've done that, he'd always been tactful. He would do anything to avoid a face-to-face confrontation if he wasn't confident that he would win. For once in Remus's life, he wished to release that nasty beast he bore. His only powerful self in this situation.

Crouch poked Harry in the ribs. Then the silencing spell was lifted, and Harry was yelling furiously.

'The Dark Lord has risen again, hasn't him? This is real?' Crouch rasped.

'Oh how I wish it was a dream,' Harry spat.

Crouch's eyes glowed like a cat's in the dark. 'Did he punish those who abandoned him? Those who had left him, and only came back when the mark burns?'

'Why don't you ask Snape?' Harry said venomously. 'What, he's dead?'

'Snape.' The corner of Crouch's mouth curled up unpleasantly. 'What does he know? Hiding in the castle while I execute the Dark Lord's scheme. None of them comes as close to me.'

'Is that so? Seems to me you miscalculated quite a lot,' Remus said, watching. It seemed that Crouch planned to interrogate Harry before he did anything, so Remus picked his words very carefully. 'Could've had us dead by Christmas.'

Crouch laughed so hard that he doubled over. 'Dead? I never want you dead. The Dark Lord wants you dead, but I see farther than that.' Hopping on the desk, he swept everything – the detector, quilts, papers, all kinds of Defence equipment – to the floor, watching them crash into pieces. 'Chaos,' he hissed. 'Chaos is what I want. And this, this is only the beginning.'

Remus and Harry exchanged a glance. They were dealing with more than just a Death Eater. Crouch was a lunatic.

'The best way to torture a person,' said Crouch, his face contorting so that the scars drew together, forming an ugly map on the muscles, 'is to leave him between living and death. He is living, but not truly living; he craves death, but dying is the last thing he can do.

'You are still alive purely because of luck. But that's alright. The great game lies ahead. One day, the Dark Lord will understand that messing with the universe is way more fun than just killing a little bespectacled boy.'

'Then, in that case, you failed spectacularly,' Harry snarled. 'Your Dark Lord was unable to do us in. My mum and dad escaped, and they could always get another child who will destroy Voldemort, just like many others can.'

'Failed? But you're here now. So is the beast. Better, even.' Crouch twirled Remus's wand – as well as Harry's, which he must've snatched earlier – between his fingers. 'My goal has always been firstly killing you off, secondly tampering with the timeline. Either, if not both, will do.

'It's only luck that had been keeping you from me. Breaking the lock of the Shrieking Shack was a start. Had it not been your ickle friends, the beast would've been executed, and the Ministry would've got hold of five illegal time travellers.'

Harry's eyes were burning. 'Didn't know the Ministry had joined forces with Voldemort.'

' _Joined forces_?' Crouch let out a mocking laugh. 'Nah it doesn't. _We_ take over it. But see how you've missed the point? We don't have to lay a finger on the time travellers to get them in trouble. You think the Ministry would let Sirius Black escape again? Not to talk about some geeks I know who would kill to get their hands on them for their freakish experiments. Mad, just like my old man…'

Remus slipped his hand into his pocket. He so very much regretted not carrying a dungbomb or two with him like James did. At least he'd have something – something –

'… Speaking of madman, I have long suspected Sirius Black is still around, and Lupin so conveniently communicated with _somebody_ through owl posts when he clearly doesn't know anyone. Honestly, Snape was right about one thing: that no one sane apart from his lapdog would die to get their hands on him –' Remus flushed at once, anger and mortification both threatening to get the better of him – 'so I cast an Imperius on the stupid girl on Christmas to make her get the paper on you. Had Snape been out of my bloody way, I would've got immediate evidence of Black's appearance. And, had the useless elf been minding its own business, the werewolf and Black would've been corpses in the lake, and not here barging into the office and _barking_ –'

Remus felt a sudden hot spot in his trouser pocket. For a split second, he thought he'd wet his pants; and then he saw golden light, flickering, going on and off. He shot his hands over the spot before Crouch could see it, who, indulged in his sweet plan of revenge, was still talking.

' – and for all these, who would've borne full responsibility? Albus Dumbledore. He hid five time travellers in his school, one of which is Sirius Black, without reporting to the ministry. And oh, of course, my dearest father as well, who would've been charge with neglect of safety of candidates and rules of his stupid tournament. Once Hogwarts and the Ministry are in chaos, it would be the time to reverse all the wrongs in the world…'

Light on, light off. Off, off, off, on, off. On. On. Remus's heart gave a giant lurch. Was that –?

'… The Dark Lord is the most righteous. Doesn't take advantage of anyone. Stooping that low to kill a little boy? Not his class.'

Let Crouch talk, don't stop. All Remus needed was just a few more seconds; everything depended on this moment alone. He whispered, his fingers tapping on the coin, counting the beat: on, on, off, on, off. He hoped it wasn't just his mere imaginationl; he prayed that Sirius had indeed read his entire collection of Sherlock Holmes because he was betting the fate of all of them on it.

'… but I, his most trusted servant, will finish his job for him –'

The door flew open at that exact instant, behind it was Sirius, James and Lily on a giant _Sphinx_ – Remus's jaw dropped – and she charged, lion body strong and agile, pressing him to the ground. Minerva McGonagall's authoritative voice arrived before she did; at that, Remus relaxed and fell to the call of gravity, all the energy drained out of him.

Somehow, Sirius's voice was still the easiest to pick out amidst the roars of a Sphinx and McGonagall's raging fit.

'I can do Morse code now. Beat me on that?'

Remus marvelled at how under extreme circumstances, one could still muster the power to stick out his tongue.

* * *

'Enjoying the view?'

'I am, Professor.'

Peter was standing on the balcony, looking out the great castle. A river ran between the valleys, stretching beyond the green and into the blue of the sky, eventually fusing and becoming one of the golden rays of the sinking sun. The view was not so much different than that in 1974.

'Sunset at Hogwarts has always been my favourite time,' said Peter.

'Soothing,' Professor Dumbledore agreed. 'And, it's almost always the time for goodbye.' He nudged Peter in the arm, a gesture Peter didn't expect from the hundred-year-old Headmaster.

'I don't think –' Peter peered behind them where the Gryffindor Trio and the rest of the time travellers were at, talking, smiling, sobbing and bidding farewell as the time turner glimmered in the fading sunlight, ' – that I deserve it.'

'I am sure,' Dumbledore's gaze was steady, 'that after yesterday, the least you deserve is a proper goodbye.'

'But –' Peter bit his lip, eyes closed, ' –I don't understand. That was me. Me and me throughout. But – how could I –? It's so wrong –'

'If only people could see.' Dumbledore shook his head, darkness flitted across his face, his thoughts very far. 'Haven't we all been there before? Losing our heads in our own dreams and only realising how wrong we were when it's way too late.' He then shot Peter a look. 'Well, in your case, too early. But the logic is the same.'

The boy's grip on the balustrade hardened. 'How am I supposed to live with this?'

'You won't,' Dumbledore said. 'The least we want is interfering with history. You will go back without any memories of the past year, just as you have never come here.'

'You're going to wipe us.' Realisation hit Peter hard. But what else did he expect, really?

'"Wipe" is not the word I would use,' replied Dumbledore calmly. 'More like _Obliviate_.'

'I – I know.' Was it anger that Peter felt in him? That was new. 'But James and Lily –

they have spent a year knowing the son they'd never have the chance to know. Are they just going to forget _everything_? For the sake of history?'

There was something on Dumbledore's wrinkled face that wasn't the all-knowing, peace-making default headmaster expression. 'That, and for your own sake,' he pointed vaguely to one side. 'You should never have borne the burden of the future. Enjoy your youth while it lasts.' He paused, the look of recalling old memories returning. 'Although – some feelings can never be erased. They transcend time, magic – even reason. They transcend _us_.'

Sometimes, Peter forgot that the Headmaster was really old and had been through a lot enough to say what he said. But still, he had his doubts.

'You never trusted us, did you? I mean, you did let me take away the time turner without saying anything when you could've prevented it.'

Dumbledore arched an eyebrow. 'I place my trust very carefully,' he eventually said, not denying anything. Peter could see that he was surprised. 'I cannot afford to lose it.'

'Keeping your silence to lure out the traitor at the risk of your students' safety. Not big enough a cost, eh?' Peter turned away from the Headmaster, his tone suddenly frosty. Maybe it was the aftereffects of Crouch's spells, he was much prone to lose his temper at the slightest trigger. 'Only that you didn't foresee there were _two_ traitors at the same time, one of which is our dear imposter professor.'

Dumbledore was silent. At length, he nodded. 'You're right. I misjudged the situation.' He paused, as if deliberating whether it was the right time to say whatever was on his mind.

Peter was too impatient for whatever he was thinking. He'd heard enough of grand speeches.

'If you're so sorry about us, then why won't you let us stay? You know what, of all the people you're the one who wants us to go back most as if our presence is a nuisance to you. But of course we are, look at the mess we've made!' He let out a bitter laugh and stopped for a breath, surprised at what he had blurted out. Swallowing, quelling the burn in his chest, he said again, in a calmer voice, 'The least you could do is to give Harry a family.'

'I wish I could. I do.' Dumbledore leaned on the balustrade. The sun was now only a tip from the lake. Night was falling. 'But time travelling is, to this day, a mystery even to time experts. Why do you think I started experimenting with time suddenly?'

Peter looked at him expectantly, and he sighed. 'I once had a dream bigger than this world. I was silly, full of myself… reckless. Time travelling was something that I looked into, but even then I stepped back. It's against nature.'

'But the new timeline we created –'

'I know. A Y-shaped timeline from where history diverged.' Dumbledore held up a hand. 'It's true. From my studies, time travellers could technically remain in the future and never go back, given that they do not die of any unnatural means. It's a way to conquer death, in a way,' he smiled wryly. 'But of all the journeys ever documented, none of the time travellers stayed. None. They all came back eventually.'

'Why is that?' Peter asked. 'They don't have to come back to reshape history. They can start all over again without erasing the past.'

'Yet they all came back, and only left the message that time travelling is a dangerous territory,' said Dumbledore. 'I asked myself the same question. If they can stay but don't, there must be something that forces them to go back.'

'Death?' Peter prompted. 'Like here, all the Death Eaters wanted to do us in.'

'No.' Dumbledore shook his head. 'A lot of them, like you, rather risk their lives to start a different life than go back and die the way they'd learn about. But death is not the reason. It's rather the opposite, really. It's eternity that makes them go back.'

Peter didn't quite follow him. 'Eternity…?'

'As tempting as it sounds, it is not actually that appealing,' explained Dumbledore. 'When a person travels to the future, the Time they carry, which in theory, is incompatible with the new time they are in, freezes. In other words, they do not age or die. They freeze in time.'

Peter's mouth was in a full 'o' shape. He rubbed his hands, touched his hair, bent and straightened his back. Did something feel different? Was he still a functioning human?

'This is to prevent time travellers who do short journeys from losing time on their own timeline. Say a person spends an hour on a different timeline. If he does that every single day, and if he aged the same rate as he does on his original timeline, when he returns, he would be 365 hours, that's 15 days older than everyone at present. If he does that continuously for ten years, he would be half a year older than he should be. But since time travelling works in the way such that you do not age, there are no missing ages. You are still the same the age you've come. In your case, you are still fourteen, not a day older than you were in September, 1974.'

'Sounds… great,' said Peter stiffly. Wasn't this what he wanted all along? To never grow to twenty-one and betray his friends?

'Is it?' The old man looked down wistfully, sighing. 'You're not alone on this. Everyone thought the same when they started. But what happens when they see every one of their loved ones grow old and die, and they're still there, forever young? Think about Harry. He will die one day, so will his children, and his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren. By then, you would still be fourteen while every day, you fear to be discovered and sent back while Voldemort hunts you down. Is this what you're willing to see?'

Peter didn't make a sound.

'This is why,' Dumbledore said, his gaze on Peter heavy and sincere, 'that although many have gone, they eventually go back to where they belong. They might have been gone for a hundred years, or a thousand years, that's not important. At some point, they will always go back to exactly when they left. This is why, even with time travelling, history never truly diverged.'

'And the alternate universe they created?'

'Returns to the state when they haven't been there,' said Dumbledore. 'In other words, history restarts, just as they have never come at all.'

Peter was still avoiding eye contact with Dumbledore, who continued: 'Of all the mistakes I've made, this is the one that I regret most. Voldemort – saw something that we failed to see in you and made it his sharpest weapon. As your teachers, it is entirely our fault for never seeing and grooming it.' He looked right at Peter sincerely, apologetically, blue irises tinged with pain. 'We all owe you an apology.'

The image of his older self popped in his mind, cradling the baby-like Voldemort and later his silver hand. He had to use every ounce of his energy not to throw up on the spot. 'I… I don't think I'll accept it.'

'As rightfully,' said the Headmaster.

They basked in silence, looking out the balcony, at the great river that eventually poured into the Scottish sea – it was, after all, probably the only memory common between the confused student and the wise professor, the only scene that connected the missing gaps, filling in twenty years of difference of time.

 **A/N: I just realised this is the only chapter that contains all four Marauders' POV lol**


	30. Epilogue: 1974 Again

'Ouch –!'

'Your fingers are in my nostrils –'

'Your hand's on my groin you pervert – Geroffme!'

'Silence! All of you! It's almost curfew!'

Lily got on her feet and shrieked. It was probably inappropriate for her to shout for silence and take points when she was the loudest, but whatever. Her purpose had been fulfilled; the boys quieted down in an instant.

'Um,' someone said – oh _yes_ , she knew that voice, that tone so well it could trigger an immediate reaction, it was bloody James Potter – oh _NO_ since when did she know anything about him? – 'your dress's turned up…'

She smacked the hand away, conveniently also smacking that damn glasses off that annoying face. She breathed a sigh of relief in secret when she saw that the hazel eyes were politely snapped shut. But her relief was soon replaced by irritation: there were three more Marauders around her - more like _under_ her - as they lay on the floor, groaning. None of them except Potter had bothered to look at how her dress had turned up.

She examined the surroundings, puzzled. She wouldn't admit it, but it did seem that she, prefect of Gryffindor, had also participated in the mess the boys were making, judging by how she had struggled to get up from the pile of bodies. But she was definitely reading a book seconds ago. It was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Potter's gang just ruined her fun. She was pretty sure it was like that when Mr Darcy just proposed to Elizabeth.

'Ouch,' Potter groaned again.

Lily squinted. 'I'm going to –' _report to McGonagall._ 'Heal you. There's a big bruise on your forehead,' she found herself say.

'What?' Potter's mouth hung open. 'You're going to what –? Ow. Ow.' He touched his bruise and furrowed with a pained expression which Lily was sure was an exaggeration, though she couldn't help but take a step forwards.

'Well,' she snapped, after casting a healing spell, 'get your friends and go back to your room. You are enough of a nuisance as you are.'

Later that night, she still couldn't put her finger on what had got into her head. Something was different. Somehow, Potter looked more like a bird nest with two eggs hanging under than ever.

She laughed heartily. Tonight would be a good night.

* * *

Remus's heart was throbbing. The corridor was dark and quiet, Mrs Norris's padding and Filch's mumbling were fading away in the distance. Sirius's hand was on his wrist, pulling him forwards as the caretaker's shadow disappeared behind the corner. Remus's steps were light, though reluctant; but Sirius was so unrelenting that his grip on Remus only grew tighter and tighter, the very reason why Remus was out of the dorm and had not been able to sneak back when Lily was having a fit about breaking curfews.

'Well,' Remus waited until Filch's name on the map vanished completely from the floor they were on, 'I fail to understand why you had to nick it in the first place if you are going to return it not ten minutes later.'

'Ten minutes?' Sirius yelped. He quickly looked around the empty castle and whispered exasperatedly, 'It feels a lifetime ago.'

As much as he attempted to sound dramatic, Remus had recognised the fleeting look of shock. Sirius's head was cocked to one side, the glint of confusion in his eyes as bright as the light from his wand tip. 'Must be my conscience growing.'

'Didn't know you had one,' Remus said sarcastically, though he, too, could see no more than Sirius could past the events of tonight. The moment of Sirius coming in with the delicate hourglass was very much fresh in his mind, yet at the same time so distant it was like admiring an old oil painting of an historic event from afar. It had, for some strange reason, felt so pivotal a point in their lives that had changed them all.

Had it?

'Admittedly, I'm glad that you have it in you,' Remus said hastily, pulling his hand from Sirius's grip. He felt heat slowly creeping up his cheeks.

Sirius gave him an annoyed look. 'What _is_ wrong with you?' He made a show of closing the map and tucking it under his arm, and grabbed Remus's hand again, a bit more forcefully this time. 'I'm not letting go again.'

'I never left,' Remus pointed at himself irritably, but he let him. If he hadn't been in the midst of a midnight mischief, he would have thought he was watching a cheesy romance film written by James, and he and Sirius were reading straight off that crappy script.

They moved along in silence, successfully avoiding Nearly Headless Nick. And then they waited impatiently behind a large pillar until a Slytherin boy decided he had kissed his Hufflepuff lover enough and buggered off. Hogwarts, whether in day or at night, was never asleep.

'Wanna hear a riddle?' Sirius said again after they finally reached the end of the corridor, climbed a few staircases and neared Dumbledore's office, his voice hardly more than a whisper. 'Although, if you want a hint, you'll have to promise to be Keeper against James –'

Remus knew it before it came. At a distant time from now, in a distant corner in the Hospital Wing, from a distant part of his memory, Sirius had asked the same question after a rough full moon, the nearly unconscious Remus beside him.

 _… and the flying umbrella stopped right over my head, and I was like "geez I couldn't have been luckier having it in a rain." And you know what? The next thing I knew was dung pouring all over me…_

 _… Now, do you know who sent that bloody umbrella?... it could be Regulus the brat… or James the prat … or Kreacher the gnat. Make a guess: which one do you think it was?_

'I think you asked for a hint,' Sirius said smugly, pointing at the magic Galleon that Remus had taken out despite his knowing.

'I don't even know what this is.' Remus closed his palm around the Galleon, its edges warm and familiar against his skin, the spell to activate it as clear as day in his mind. He tried to look as nonchalant as possible, but judging from the sly looks Sirius sent him, it was needless to say that he had failed to achieve even one tenth of the intended effect.

Sirius laughed quietly. He led the way through the gargoyle door and into the Headmasters office. It was empty save for the soft glowing lamp on the desk, and the piles of books on Dumbledore's desk. Neither Dumbledore nor the phoenix was here.

'So you'll be my Keeper?' Sirius asked as he rounded the desk, stopping at the first wooden drawer under it. He held out the hourglass right above the open drawer, and Remus held the other side of it solemnly. The whole act felt holy. The soft glow given off by the hourglass was like a ring of halo, and he couldn't help but feel reverence towards it.

'Only if you'll be Chaser,' said Remus, heart beating fast.

Sirius held his gaze. Eventually, he nodded. And then he gave a slight click, and together, they lowered the time turner into the drawer, its interior filled with some vintage sweet wrappers, ink boxes and stamps.

'I'm surprised that, of all things –' Remus closed the drawer with an air of finality, arching an eyebrow – 'this caught your attention.'

'It's fate.' Sirius shrugged as he gave the drawer one last glance, sorry that he had to let his trophy go. 'It's like I'm attached to it. Call me superstitious, but I have a feeling it will bring us luck.'

And so it did, in more than one way possible; in the future so buried deep in the undulating currents of time. Until it saw light again, it would lay there, in this wooden drawer, safe from the chaos of the world, the change of night; all while its previous owners slipped away, one by one, borne back ceaselessly into the past –

And the future stretched on, unknown.

 **-Fin-**

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! How this affects the future (if it does at all) is up to YOUR imagination! Love ya xx**


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